


As the Moon Calls

by Bowm8935



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: AU, F/M, MERMANDERS I MEAN, Slow Build, fenris is fenris, mermaid au, mermaid hawke, once the babies grow up a bit at least, rescuing anders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-08 01:21:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7737703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bowm8935/pseuds/Bowm8935
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The legends of Thedas speak of a horrible creature that appears only during the full moon, roaming the beaches to perform perverted versions of dance, preying on any innocent victim that stumbles upon their ritual. </p><p>One young woman makes it her duty to rescue a captured friend, out to prove the stories wrong about her people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Legend

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo this is a short chapter, but I plan to post the next one in a few days' time. I already have #2 written- I am just working on editing and tweaking it. I plan to update weekly- most likely on Wednesdays- but do be warned that I lead a busy life so sometimes that may not be possible.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Throughout the whole of Thedas there was a legend, something that started as a story in a time when things were different, when people were kinder. As it was passed down from generation to generation, certain embellishments were added, eventually of such magnitude that the truth became hidden beneath all the lies. Kings, scholars and slaves alike began to think it was simply a myth made up to entertain children, a fantasy that could never be true.

Little did they know they were wrong.

The legend tells of a form of ghost-people, giant and frightening, that come out only during the full moons. Comparable to the incorrect version of werewolves, these creatures were feral with teeth as sharp as knives and talons that could rip one from head to toe in a single slash. They came from the earth itself, clawing their way out of the ground to join together in a horrible, twisting imitation of dance. As the night wore on, the tempo of their movements would increase, and eventually they would all fall simultaneously to have an orgy, red eyes and pale limbs panting until they would all cry out, wails filling the night. If a mere mortal dared to venture too close- dwarf, elf, kossith and humans alike, for these nightmarish things were found in all lands- the monsters would pounce, producing razor-sharp teeth that would drain the blood from the body of the adventurer, leaving nothing but a dried husk behind.

How far the seed had fallen from the tree.

It was true that there was a form of people who only walked on land during certain times of the month, but it was when the moons were full or when they were new. This could amount to as many times as four per month or as few as two, simply depending on the orbit of the great chunks of rock that floated around the planet. It was also not limited to the night; they could walk among the shores even as the sun shone high in the sky.

They were not monstrosities, however; not giant nor feral, possessing teeth appropriate for their respective races. For something that had been lost among the multiple retellings was that these people reflected those around them; when walking on the soil, they could possess the large stature and horns of the kossith, the pointed ears and lithe forms of the elves, the stout and bearded look of the dwarves, or the varied features of the average human. Even a few existed that mirrored the Avaar race, and that, combined with the kossith, were perhaps where the fanciful tales of giants came from.

They traveled in clans, and did indeed come upon the shore to mate, but it was not the affair of the tales. It was in pairs, not groups, and they usually attempted to give each other some semblance of privacy, for this was the only time such intimate things were possible between them.

They spent the rest of their time underwater, legs fused together to form a long, sleek tail with a fin at the end. Gills were apparent along their neck, their ears changing into a webbed structure meant less for hearing and more for sense of direction when in darker waters. Fingers were webbed together, better for swimming quickly, as was needed to hunt and escape predators.

They aged at a different pace than the rest of the world, perhaps due to their genetics or their life in the ocean. Their life cycle directly reflected that of a fish; they were born in eggs, hatching into baby mer- called alevins- that feed off their mother’s milk. Upon reaching the human equivalent of toddlerhood, they graduated into the fry stage, learning to swim on their own for a short distance. Next came the parr phase, similar to young childhood and pre-pubescence in their land counterparts. Then they became smolts, the equivalent of puberty, as the body prepared itself for reproduction. It was at this time that their bodies would shift for the first time, a painful transformation as it felt one was being remolded from the inside out (and they certainly were). The first change would last for about a month, ensuring the start of a ritual their people had to prove one was worthy to ascend into adulthood. They were expected to join the world of civilization around them, often being plopped upon the beach on the outskirts of a large city. The latent magic of their people allowed them the ability to understand those around them and to learn to move their tongues in the manner required to converse at an exponential speed, thus effectively removing the language barrier. After the ritual was completed, the smolt had only a few years while their body finished maturing before they became full-fledged adults.

It was during one such ceremony that Aurellia of the mer-clan Hawke found herself alone on the rocky beach on the outskirts of Minrathos, preparing herself to enter into the city full of structures the like of which she’d never seen and to be surrounded by more people than she had ever seen in one place during her entire life.


	2. I can't swim!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurellia meets her first non-mer, and maybe panics a little. Just a teensy bit.

Aurellia let out a loud groan from where she lay spread eagled on the beach. The morning sun was shining brightly down on her smooth, pale skin that still held a few droplets of water from the ocean. She pushed herself up on her elbows, gazing down past her naked breasts and flat stomach to the unusual sight below her waist: two human legs. Wiggling her toes, she cocked her head to the side, considering her next move. She was not given much information on how this ritual proceeded; all she knew was that she was to move along unnoticed among the humans, to learn how they live, how they speak. She was terrified; she had heard stories of what happened to her people when captured.

Her family had a history of hitting the smolt stage later than those around them; she was the last in her school. On her 28th year she was finally capable of shifting into human form, indicating her body was nearing maturity. She knew there was one other maid in the city who would be returning to the water soon, and she had a small hope that they could find each other so she could glean some helpful information.

She flipped over on her belly, the sand rubbing her skin in a much more irritating fashion than usual. Unsure how to proceed, she pulled her legs up underneath of her until her knees were beneath her hips, pushing up with her hands and rocking back and forth as she tried to discern how to stand up. After a few movements, she decided that was not the way to proceed. She pushed up more, rocking back to sit on her ankles, both surprised and delighted at her success at achieving the position. She remained like that for a while, contemplating the complexities of standing.

“Are you okay?” came a small voice from behind her, and she swung her head around, flaming red hair flying with the movement. With wide eyes, she gawked at the young elf before her; large green eyes regarded her underneath feathered black hair, head cocked in curiosity. At that moment she was thankful for the magic that allowed her to understand him, even though she had no clue how to respond yet. She watched as his eyes wandered down her body, red blooming across his cheeks the further he went, suddenly averting his gaze. “You are unclothed.”

She peered at him with interest, not comprehending his meaning. “Un…clothed?” she repeated, wrapping her tongue around the strange word. It felt weird to use her mouth in such a fashion; she was used to eating and making the high pitched squeals and whistles that her kind communicated with.

He peeked back at her, blinking his wide eyes slowly. “You… you do not understand me.” She shook her head quickly at the statement, causing confusion to blossom on his face. “You do understand?”

She nodded, smiling widely. “Understand,” she parroted proudly, puffing out her chest. She noticed that he turned a deeper shade of crimson at the action, and deflated slightly. She associated the red color of his face to that of embarrassment; could she be upsetting him in some way?

“But you don’t speak my language,” he stated, comprehension dawning on his features. He brought a finger up to his chin, tapping it while he thought. “I could teach you,” he said, to which she nodded enthusiastically. “I don’t have much spare time, though. Where do you live?”

Aurellia shrugged, glancing back at the ocean behind her. The elf seemed young, perhaps within a few years of her own age; would it be safe to tell him? She considered the warnings her parents had given her before sending her to the surface; “don’t let anyone know what you are” was the one that topped the list. So she toyed with her hair and shook her head, hoping it would satisfy him.

It only served to make him look more confused. “You won’t tell me? Or… you don’t have a home?” She inclined her head at the end, impressed with the boy’s astuteness. If he could pick up her meanings so fast with only a little body language, perhaps he would be able to help her. Of course, there was the possibility of him figuring out that she was a mermaid, but hopefully that was a minimal chance.

He tapped his chin a little more before letting out a breath. “Okay. I’m going to try to help you, at least for a while. My name is Leto.” He pointed to himself, the smallest hint of a smile on his face.

“My…name… is… Aurellia,” she said haltingly, clapping excitedly when she managed the whole sentence. Her breasts jiggled at the action and she watched as his eyes flickered down to them before he snapped them back up to her face, his flaming red again.

“Uh, h-hi, Aur-rellia,” he stammered out, averting his eyes again. “Um, I’ll be right back.” He turned and took a few steps toward the inland before stopping, twisting around to her again. “Stay here, okay?” At her nod, he hurried off, soon disappearing from view.

She watched him as he walked away, paying particularly close attention to his leg movements. Glancing around, she crawled over to one of the larger rocks in the area, placing her hands on it to try to pull herself up. She managed to do so, but collapsed almost immediately when her legs buckled underneath of her. Frowning, she considered the appendages, frustrated that they were not working the way she wanted.

Gripping the sides of the stone again, she dragged herself back up, this time leaning against it when she was standing. Back against the rock, she lifted one leg in the air, watching the muscles ripple underneath the skin. She was used to her mer-tail, her scales the lovely iridescent color that came with entering the smolt phase of her life. As she neared adulthood, she would gradually shed the tail of her youth to be replaced with new, tougher scales. It was generally accepted that members of the same clan all had similarly colored tails, though there were, of course, a few outliers to the rule. While rare, having a ‘unique’ tail color could usually be traced back to when a member of the family line mated with someone from another clan, and, interestingly enough, made that merperson more desirable to mate with.

Not that she wanted to think about mating. She was, after all, still very young. She had _at least_ four years until she would come of age, and then it was okay to wait a few more years to find an acceptable mate. She knew there was no one of interest in her own clan, but finding another clan of mers would prove difficult, at best; it seemed that two groups almost never came into contact, the ocean being so large and the population being smaller than in the past.

Their kind had been hunted for a long while, making their shoreline excursions next to impossible. It led to a large decrease in their numbers; if they dared to venture onto land, they ran the risk of being attacked and many were killed or drug off to who knows where. But by choosing to remain in the water, they were unable to breed; by some sick joke, they had been created in a manner that did not allow for copulation underwater. They _had_ to be on land in their respective land-creature forms, though Aurellia was unsure why or how the act was performed.

At least they could lay their eggs underwater.

Aurellia lowered her leg, picking up a stray strand of hair that had landed on her collarbone, curious about how it felt dry. Normally down to her waist, it had shortened considerably, curling into tight ringlets that made her hair puff out from her head. It felt coarse as she rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger, mulling over the differences. She noted a similar bright red patch between her legs, reaching down to tug at the hair there as well. Her fingers flicked across an opening, and she frowned, sliding her hand down further to see what was down there, curious.

“Aurellia, here, I brought you- Ah!” She jumped in surprise as Leto approached, crumpling to the ground when her legs were unable to catch her on the landing. Leto had halted a few steps away, eyes wide and face a deep crimson again. He held out something in a shaking hand, and she crawled toward him, reaching out to take it. She held it out in front of her, tilting her head to the side as she tried to discern what it was for. The green material felt rough beneath her fingers, far from anything she had ever felt before.

“It’s nothing fancy, I know, but you don’t have access to much when you’re a slave…” he trailed off as he watched her explore the item with her fingers, a flash of understanding in his eyes. “Oh. You… you don’t know what clothes are, do you?” She glanced up at him, shaking her head slowly. “Well, you wear it. Like what I’m wearing.” He pointed at his shirt and his short pants, then at what she was holding. She gazed at the material in her hands again, unsure how to make it look like him. He seemed to comprehend her issue, plucking it from her and turning it over. He stepped closer to her, placing it over her and pulling it down over her head. She flinched as the scratchy fabric slid across her skin, looking down when it laid wrinkled across her chest. “Now put your arms through those holes,” he directed, helping her when she got an elbow stuck in the first one. It was too big, one side draping off her shoulder and baggy on her body; only the gentle curve of her breasts could be seen.

“There,” he stated, standing up with a look of satisfaction on his face. “Now you’re dressed properly.”

She gazed down in amazement at the garment, the dark green a deep contrast to her pale, freckled skin. Then she frowned, remembering something he said. She wanted to communicate better, so she decided to try to get some clarification on the language before she tried to ask her query. “Leto,” she said quietly, pointing at him. “Aurellia.” She jabbed a finger into her chest. He nodded slowly, brow furrowed as he watched her struggle with what to say next. “You?” she asked, pointing at him questioningly.

For a moment he just gazed at her, confused, before it hit him what she meant. “Oh!” he cried, sitting down next to her. “I see. You want to know how to use, well, you. Um, how do I explain this… Well, yes, I think you have the right concept. If you want to talk to me, you could call me you. Or Leto, as it were.”

She blinked as she took in what he was saying. She _thought_ she understood, but it was hard when he couldn’t understand her. “You, Leto. Slave?” she asked slowly, hoping her point came across.

His face darkened considerably, and he turned away. “That is something I would rather not discuss right now. Ask me again a different day, perhaps.” He let out a long sigh, getting to his feet. He offered her a hand, huffing out a laugh when she looked at it in confusion. “You must have little social experience. It’s to help you up.”

She bit her lip, taking his hand and letting him pull her to her shaky legs. They wobbled underneath of her and she fell forward, straight into his arms. There stared at each other with wide eyes until he suddenly burst into laughter, the sound low and full of humor. She smiled, giggling as she tried to straighten herself, stumbling a bit in the process. She accidentally locked her knees, making the problem worse as her upper half swayed dangerously, arms spinning as she tried to gain her balance. He watched all of this, laughing even harder as she staggered to the side, leaning back against the rock.

“You fascinate me,” he chuckled, wiping away a couple of tears that had dripped onto his cheeks. “You don’t speak Tevene or the common tongue, but you understand both. You don’t know a few key things that exist in society- like clothes or slavery- and you can’t seem to walk. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re not actually human at all.” He continued to snigger, eyes closing when he crushed his palms into them.

He missed her horrified look. She clutched onto the rock, trying to move away from him as quickly as she could, frightened of what he would do to her now that he knew. She glanced to the sea, deciding it would be best if she made a dash for the shoreline and swam far away to safety so she wouldn’t find out. Making sure he was not looking, she pushed herself off the rock in the direction of the water, making it a few fumbling steps before crashing back to her hands and knees. Undeterred, she crawled as quickly as she could to the ocean, fear moving her far faster than she knew she could.

“Aurellia? What are you doing?” She heard him call from behind her, but she kept moving forward, desperate to reach the familiar feel of the water. She could hear the sound of feet moving across the sand behind her, but she was so close to her destination. Her palms were squishing into the wet sand, the water licking at her fingers. “Aurellia! _Venhedis!_ ”

She propelled herself forward into the ocean, but her relief quickly turned to terror as she felt the undertow sweeping her away from the shore. She tried to swim, but her legs wouldn’t work the way she needed them to; she had completely forgotten that she didn’t have her fin! **Oh God of the Water, help me!** she cried out in her native tongue as her face crashed into the sea. She felt the salty water rush up her nose and she involuntarily opened her mouth and took a deep breath, choking as the liquid rushed into her lungs. She was being yanked further into the ocean, her flailing limbs doing little to help her situation.

A pair of arms hooked around her and pulled her to the surface, dragging her back to the shore. She coughed violently even as she felt her legs scrape against the sand, turning from cool and wet to hot and rough. She was sat down, a hard whack delivered to the middle of her back almost immediately thereafter. Gasping, she leaned over to the side and retched, water spilling out of her mouth in a violent manner. She felt herself being pushed back to lean against the hard surface of a rock, opening her eyes to see green orbs gazing at her in concern.

“Okay,” Leto started slowly, in a tone similar to one which would be used on a wild animal. “What was that about? Kaffas, girl, you almost drowned!” He frowned at her, his eyes piercing into her. “And what was that inhumane _squawking_ noise you made right before you went under?”

She blinked, drawing her lip in between her teeth. She had really messed up; now there was no way around telling him. But she lacked the words; how could she explain? He seemed to sense her despair, his gaze softening. "Aurellia," he said quietly, his tone sympathetic. "I am not going to hurt you, okay? I just want to help."

“I…am…” She stalled, struggling to find a word that served as a good descriptor from the limited vocabulary she’d gained from hearing him speak. Screwing her face up in thought, she said the only thing she could think of that would even moderately work. “Not human.”

His eyebrows knitted together as he searched her face, tapping his chin with a finger. “You don’t know how to explain, do you?” He asked slowly. She shook her head, lowering her eyes.

“You teach?” There was a short huff of laughter, and she glanced back up into a face filled with equal parts amusement and curiosity.

“Yes, I’ll teach you how to speak, on one condition- once you know how, you _must_ tell me what you are.”

She nodded, and he held out his hand once more. “Good. Let’s begin right away. I have a while until my afternoon chores need to be completed.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leto, oh, my lovely little Leto. How long until the horrors of your life start? D:  
> \---  
> Did you like it? Did you love it? Did you... *gasp* hate it? Let me know! I'm always open for reviews, comments and helpful criticism.  
> I'm here to grow. :)


	3. A Comfortable Hideaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurellia doesn't like sleeping on hay- so she slips away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So about that once a week update thing...  
> Haha.

The yellow stuff was pokey and scratchy, and no matter what position Aurellia flipped to, she could not get comfortable. Leto had been kind enough to show her a place that she could temporarily sleep in, a corner in one of the lofts above the four-legged monstrosities he called ‘horses.’ He had apologized profusely about the lack of a bed, something she had been unconcerned about- primarily because she didn’t really know what a bed was. But she found herself wishing she had one, because surely it would be more comfortable than _this_.

She sat up, pursing her lips in annoyance. It was now stuck in her hair, which was all sorts of frustrating because her hair was like a giant knot in and of itself. Slouching, she started to pick at the stuff, trying to disentangle it from her locks.

She was already fairly positive she disliked this whole ‘human form’ thing. How was she going to survive a _month_ of this?

At least she had made a friend already. Leto was kind and caring, and very intelligent. He had taken as much time as he could spare earlier in the day to teach her his language, and she’d picked up rather quickly. He had become increasingly excited as her vocabulary rapidly increased, unaware that it was simply part of her biology, a defense mechanism built in to help her stay alive. His questions had grown more difficult to answer as the day progressed, and it frustrated the both of them when she couldn’t adequately reply to him. She had found out that he was 14 in his years, an age that had caused her not a little confusion since he seemed so close to her own. Unable to express her age, she had simply managed to tell him she was “older,” a fact he had grudgingly accepted.

She had gradually gained more control of her legs throughout the day as well, and soon she was able to waddle around in what she thought was a fair imitation of walking. Leto had disagreed, laughing at her any time she got too confident, saying she looked like a toddler. She didn’t know what a toddler was, but she most certainly did _not_ look like one. At least she no longer needed to lean on him for support.

Deciding she was going to be unable to sleep, she crawled over to the ladder and carefully climbed down, very aware of where each foot and hand was placed to make sure she didn’t fall. She had done that several times when trying to get up the blasted thing, each time becoming angrier at both the lifeless piece of wood and her disobedient limbs. Once her shoeless feet him the bottom, she released the rungs, turning to face the dark night before her.

Leto had warned her about the patrols at night, designed to keep intruders out. He had strongly urged her to stay where she was, since she was least likely to be discovered there. She had agreed readily to his advice, but that was before she laid down on the prickly yellow stuff.

Blinking as her eyes adjusted to the torches lit nearby, she crept along the side of the stables, doing her best to remain in the shadows. She could recall the way from here to the beach with utter clarity, her excellent memory being something she prided herself on. So she retraced their steps, ducking behind bushes and walls as needed to hide from the guards. Once she was back out onto the street, she simply remained hugging the walls, quickly padding her way toward the exit.

She let out a sigh of relief when she entered the small copse of trees on the outskirts of Minrathous, and she turned to cast a sad look back. Leto would probably be worried in the morning when he did not find her in the loft, but she simply would not be able to sleep there. Her shoulders slumped slightly as she followed the dark path through the trees, thankful for the nocturnal eyesight of her kind and that it remained with her even after the transformation.

She tripped a few times over little things, like a small rock or twig. Focusing her gaze on the ground, she found that by paying attention to where she placed her feet, she could eliminate some of her problems walking.

Being a human was so difficult.

She took in a deep breath when she reached the edge of the beach, reveling in the smell of the ocean, a slight breeze causing her gnarled hair to flutter around her. This, this felt like home to her.

What she would give to be able to wade into the ocean and trade her legs for her tail again. She missed the feeling of the water caressing her scales, of her hair floating behind her as she swam. She wanted to be able to dance, twirl, and jump; all things she knew would be disastrous if she were to try now. She wondered how her family was doing; odds were against much having changed in the span of a day, but she couldn’t help thinking about the twins- Carver, so desperate to prove himself, wanting nothing more than to earn his trident and join the warrior mer. Bethany was training to be clan healer, a position that her kind and loving personality fit perfectly. How she yearned to play with them, even something as silly as pirates and sirens.

She surveyed the area in front of her, trying to place the location of the cave she had seen that morning. She had ignored it at the time, it being of little importance in comparison to the oddities that were newly placed beneath her waist.

Now it sounded like the perfect place to lie down for the night. She would be able to hear the waves lapping against the shore, a poor replacement for all the wondrous sounds she experienced underwater, but better than the stomping of those infernal _horses_.

Squinting, she took a few steps forward, face lighting up when she located what she was looking for. She rushed forward as fast as she could, waddling the whole way to the maw of the cavern, and she peeked in, calling forth a pale blue ball of light to her hands to help illuminate the space. It was really more of a shallow indentation into the rock than a legitimate _cave_ , but it would do.

She carefully set down the luminescent ball, reaching up to peel off the dress she was still wearing. Clothing was a new sensation to her, and she didn’t much care for the scratching feeling of the fabric dragging across her sensitive skin.  She tossed it to the side of the light, stretching out her limbs and letting out a big yawn. Settling down on the damp sand, she laid on her side, head cushioned on her bent arm, one leg draped forward and bent at the knee. The sand still felt different than how it had before, but it was preferable to the itchy yellow stuff that still lingered in her hair.

With a small smile on her face, she felt her eyes drift close, the sounds of the waves breaking across the shore ferrying her away to dream in the Fade.


	4. Friendship Grows

_Crack!_

Aurellia hit the mussel hard with a rock, cracking the shell. Peeling it open, she slurped the meaty portion into her mouth, chewing the familiar texture. She had been fortunate enough to find a small bed of the creatures fairly easily after she woke, her hunter training coming in handy. There was a pile of empty shells off to one side of her, all that remained from those she had already eagerly devoured. She had woke feeling starved, worried about how to fill her rumbling stomach since she could not swim to catch fish. Luck had been on her side, indeed.

Discarding the now empty shell, she reached over to pick up one of the remaining few crustaceans, slamming the rock down hard enough to easily rupture the shell. She placed the hard surface to her puckered lips, sucking it down and licking the salt from her lips.

“Okay, that is _gross_ ,” a voice called from behind her. She jumped, turning around to see Leto watching her with a disgusted look on his face. “And…you’re naked, again.” His cheeks flushed that pretty red color again, making his complexion darker.

She smiled sunnily at him. “You found me!” she exclaimed, getting unsteadily to her feet. “I’ll get the dress,” she said as she turned to head to the cave.

“No, wait. I found a different one that might fit you better.” He produced a brown dress this time, handing it to her. She took it, feeling the same rough texture as she green one had. It must be the only type of fabric land dwellers had if it was what both garments were composed of. She turned it around in her hands, trying to figure out how to put it on herself. She fumbled a bit before attempting to pull one of the holes over her head, startled when a loud guffaw came from the elf in front of her.

“No, no, no. You’re hopeless,” he laughed, taking it from her. Once again he held it over her head, slipping it past the tangled red locks with an ease that she envied. Instead of having sleeves that fell to her elbows like the last dress, this one had none at all; it had two thick straps resting on her shoulders that held it up. However, it fit much tighter, hugging her body so snugly that it was almost a second skin.

Leto laughed nervously. “I suppose I should’ve thought about the fact that elves are smaller than humans before I brought you one of my sister’s dresses.” He eyed her, his look a mixture of horror and appreciation. “Well… at least you’re covered now.”

She just continued to smile at him. She had no idea what the fascination with clothes was about; her people wore nothing under the water. It was not necessary to.

“I need to get to my chores. I was wondering if you wanted to help? We could keep talking,” he suggested, pulling lightly on his earlobe. “I-if you want to, that is.”

She nodded enthusiastically, eager to keep learning whatever he could teach her. “Yes!” She would have bounced over to him in her excitement, had she been able. As it was, she did one sloppy jump and crashed into him, knocking them both to the ground. She quickly pulled back from his chest, sitting on her heels and looking at him worriedly. “Sorry,” she grimaced, hoping he wasn’t mad at her for the misstep.

Leto just stared at her for a moment before bursting out laughing. “You really have no sense of balance. We’ll have to work on that,” he chuckled, getting to his feet. He brushed off the sand on his leggings before reaching a hand out to her. She took it, rising much slower than necessary to ensure she didn’t fall again. “But for now,” he said, flashing her a wide smile, “we should get going.”

~*~

Aurellia followed him around from that point on as much as she could, helping him with chores and asking a never-ending stream of questions. She learned the yellow stuff was called hay- and expressed her intense dislike of it without needing words. She helped him with chores, amazed at how differently everything worked up on the land.

During mealtimes, Leto would leave her in the woods, returning after a short while to split his food with her. She had been very wary of it at first- next to none of it was fish (and when it was, it was _cooked_ ), most of it things she had never heard of before. She learned that she enjoyed cheese and bread, little round things called grapes and most of the green things he gave her. Leto didn’t seem to like the latter- he called them vegetables, and made a face at the thought of eating them- but they reminded her of variations of kelp and seaweed, just from above the ocean.

Eventually, Leto opened up to her about slavery and what it meant for him. She was horrified at the concept; nothing like that existed under the ocean as far she knew. All mer were equal, content to roam the ocean and live free. He spoke of his mother and his little sister, and how he would gladly live his life as a slave forever if only they could be free.

In turn, she started to tell him the stories of her people, slowly readying him for the revelation of what she was. She still wasn’t sure what her kind was called in his language, but after a couple weeks of thinking, she had figured out what she hoped would be a good way to describe it.

“Leto?” she asked one night as they sat on a rock on the beach, toes hanging down to brush the water. It had been three weeks since the night they met, and she knew that meant her time with him was coming to an end. She felt sadness at the prospect of losing her friend, though she was admittedly quite happy to see an end to being a human. She had more or less mastered walking by now, even managing to jump without falling.

He had been staring at the stars, turning to face her when she spoke. “Yes?” He was smiling at her, something he did more and more often as time passed on. Her heart swelled every time he did it, her stomach doing a weird little flip.

“I… never explained to you what I am,” she said, looking down at her hands that were now restlessly tapping her legs. She heard him shift beside her and cast a glance at him out of the corner of her eyes. He was now facing her, legs crossed and gaze attentive. She took a deep breath, praying to the Sea Mother for strength.

“My people have a custom, something we have to do when we reach a certain age,” she began, tugging at the ends of the tunic she was wearing. Leto had continued sneaking clothes for her, eventually figuring out a correct size, and now she was dressed head-to-toe in what would be considered passing fashion for a member of low society. She even had a breastband, though she despised wearing it.

“When the first full moon comes after we enter the stage of life that I am in now we are transformed, forced to walk the land as humans, to learn their – your- ways and customs, as well as how to speak. It is… considered to be necessary to our survival that we learn to communicate properly should we ever need to. This transformation lasts a full turn of the moon, at which point we return to our natural state.” She paused, closing her eyes and tilting her head up to the sky, the light summer breeze causing her hair to ruffle around her. She let out a sigh before continuing, “my time is almost up. You found me on the first day that I was here- scared and confused. You have shown me nothing but kindness since then, and so I have decided to tell you the truth. It goes against everything I was ever told; we are supposed to be secretive, hidden away. We are feared on the land, hunted if found. But we are not dangerous.”

She opened her eyes and turned to look at Leto, who was watching her attentively, equal parts of confusion and curiosity on his face. “I… do not know the word your people have for mine,” she said slowly, tugging absentmindedly at a stray lock of hair. “But I can tell you how I normally look. This,” she gestured to everything above her waist, “is, more or less, the same. My hands are a bit different- skin connects my fingers more- and my ears are larger, but that’s pretty much it. But these-” She pointed at her legs, wiggling her toes as she did so. “These, I do not have. Again, I’m unsure what you would call it, but I guess I look like a fish. And I live underwater.” She shrugged her shoulders, unable to come up with any other way to explain it.

His mouth was now agape as he stared at her, eyes wide as saucers. “You…you’re…” he sputtered, seeming unable to voice what he was thinking. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, smiling at him nervously. She hoped she hadn’t made a mistake by telling him; she would be beyond upset if he ran away from her.

Leto closed his eyes and took a few quick breaths, nostrils flaring at the effort. She watched as he raised a hand to the right side of his face, rubbing circles into the temple there. Finally, when she felt she was going to expire from holding her breath, he blinked his eyes back open and looked at her. “You’re a mermaid,” he whispered, face full of awe.

“Is that the word?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. “I really had no idea.”

She jumped when he suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand, a bright smile on his face. “That is _amazing!_ ” he exclaimed, eyes dancing in the moonlight. She felt herself returning his grin, cheeks aching from being stretched too far. “I have so many questions! Is it okay if I ask you about it?” he queried, nearly vibrating from excitement.

She let out a small laugh, nodding her head. “Of course, I will do my best to answer.” He wasted no time, spitting out questions faster than she had the ability to answer, but she didn’t mind.

She couldn’t have asked for a better reaction.


	5. In Her True Form

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The transformation, something more than friendship appears and poor Leto...

__Aurellia’s last week of humanity passed by in a flash. Leto seemed to have an endless supply of questions about merfolk, and she did her best to give him complete answers. He also regaled her with some of the tales he grew up with about the sea creatures, all of which she thought were absolutely ridiculous and couldn’t be further from the truth.

The night arrived where the moon would turn full again, and the two friends were gathered on the beach, watching as the remaining shadow fell away from the orb in the sky. They both had waded out into the water until it was waist deep on Aurellia so that when the transformation happened she would already be in the sea.

Aurellia grabbed Leto’s hand, lacing her fingers through his as she felt the magic inside of her start to peak. She gave him a smile even as he blushed again, glancing at their fingers with a look of awe on his face. She had chosen to wear a dress on this particular night, simply so she could transform without any restrictions that something like pants would have imposed. She had left it on for her friend’s comfort, but was eager to discard it as soon as possible.

The tingling intensified in her body, spreading to her muscles and she knew the transformation was about to start. She squeezed his hand as the feeling of being completely remade swept over her; her muscles screamed in agony as they changed to adjust for the complexities of swimming; her legs felt like they were being stitched together, only to have scales push their way through the already sensitive skin; her ears stretched and grew, changing in shape to accommodate for hearing high pitched squeals; her fingers grew webbing, becoming less flexible; slits appeared in her neck as her gills grew to allow her to breath underwater. She threw her head back and let out a piercing scream as the pain washed throughout her body, her bones cracking and breaking, reshaping or even disintegrating as her body changed. She was vaguely aware of panicked shouts to her side and arms wrapping around her, the tight feeling of being held disappearing amidst all the agony.

Suddenly it was gone, and the transformation was complete. She sagged into Leto’s chest, drained and exhausted. She noticed her cheeks were wet, as was his shirt- she must have cried while her body morphed into her true form.

The change! Energy renewed, she pulled back, Leto releasing her easily enough. She floated a few paces away, giving an experimental flap of her tail. The large fin on the end poked up past the surface of the water, splashing water over both of them as she jubilantly brought it back down.

She squealed, turning and racing out further into the water, jumping high into the air and diving under. She swum deeper, twirling and dancing in the currents, reveling in the feel of the liquid washing over her fins. This was it; she was home.

Belatedly, she remembered Leto, spinning to swim back to him. She stayed underwater until she saw his legs, right about the time the sea floor was becoming too shallow. Slowing, she popped back up, gasping back in the air. In their natural form, mers could breathe oxygen, but it was not the same. Their lungs were made to pull it from the water, meaning they generally got less in one breath than when above water. The pure amount they could get from the air was a shock, almost painful. Shuddering, she flicked her tail, allowing her to get closer to her friend.

Leto had been staring at the ocean, forlorn, when she popped back up. She watched as his look changed from dejected to relieved. “I thought you had left,” he said softly, a sad smile on his face. She shook her head, swimming closer. She sunk lower, so that only her shoulders were exposed, pulling off the sopping dress and tossing it toward the beach.

“I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, Leto,” she admonished, a lazy smile on her face.

He tugged at his earlobe, looking at her considerately. “May I…?” he asked hesitantly, motioning toward her ear. She inclined her head in permission, floating closer still to allow him access. He reached out slowly, running a finger along the curved spine of one ear, lightly touching the webbing and scales. He then pulled up one of her hands, staring intently as he fingered the connection between her fingers, gaze intent.

“Would you like to see my tail?” she asked shyly; tails were one of the major ways her people determined compatibility and attraction, and hers was still covered in the scales of a smolt. He nodded enthusiastically, still holding onto her hand. She shifted in position to allow for the lower half of her tail to protrude from the water, dropping her eyes nervously as she waited for his reaction. The moonlight glinted off the iridescent scales, causing them to shimmer and sparkle in an almost magical way.

He inhaled sharply, and she felt a shaking finger trailing over her scales, following the curves down her tail to tentatively touch the fins at the end. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, awestruck. She blushed furiously, looking up at him from underneath her eyelashes. He was staring at her tail, rubbing his palm over the scales slowly, sending shivers through her body. No one had ever touched her like that, and she wasn’t sure how to interpret the feelings coursing through her body at the contact.

“Leto,” she murmured, giving him a timid smile when he glanced up at her. “I should get back to my family.” His face fell noticeably, and he dropped her hand, withdrawing his own from her tail. “But I can come back tomorrow night and see you,” she amended hastily, rewarded by the bright smile that crossed his face.

“Really? You still want to see me?” he asked, voice full of hope.

“Of course,” she laughed. “You’re my friend, Leto.” She paused a moment before garnering the courage to give him a quick peck on the cheek. He smiled shyly, tugging at his earlobe again. “Good night, Leto,” she said, swimming slowly backward.

“Good night, Aurellia,” he called, waving as turned and dove under the water.

She sped away, drawing further from him but closer to where her clan was staying. Her heart was beating erratically as she neared the reef she had last seen a month ago, excited to see her family and friends again. She smiled as she thought of the tales she could tell her younger siblings, of her time as a human and of Leto. Perhaps she would even bring them with to meet him.

She faltered as the brightly colored coral came into view, devoid of the typical signs of mer life. She slowed, eyes wide and frightened as she approached. “No!” she cried out, circling the reef, searching for something indicating they were present. She dipped in and out of holes in the coral, desperately calling out for her family.

She sank to the bottom of the ocean floor, leaning against a piece of orange coral, sobbing as reality hit her. They had left. They had _left_ her. She knew it wasn’t unknown to happen; if something that threatened them had appeared, the clan would have had to move on regardless of any smolts that may be on shore. It was actually alarmingly common, but she had never once thought it would happen to _her_. She knew there were a few in her clan that had joined only after they were found wandering on their own, either as smolts or adults. It was one of the way fresh blood was introduced into the tribe.

She cried until she was close to passing out, the exhaustion from her earlier transformation smashing into her full force. Resigned, she found her old resting spot, settling down for the night. She would figure out what to do tomorrow.

~*~

“They left you? But you’re… you’re too young!” Leto was outraged, anger pouring out of his orifices. They were sitting on the part of the beach that allowed for her tail to still be covered, the ocean lapping at their waists gently. He had initially been awkward at the sight of her bare chest, but that had disappeared quickly once she told him of her predicament. She had explained to him why it would happen and how it wasn’t an unusual occurance, but that did nothing to stem his anger. She couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of satisfaction over the fact that he was just as upset- if not more- than her.

She shrugged; she had spent most of the day contemplating her course of action for the future. She was relatively calmer now, at least able to control her emotions. “I will be fine, Leto. I know how to hunt, and how to find shelter. We are taught these essentials from an early age in case we ever get separated. I’ll just…be lonely, is all,” she said, giving him a wan smile. Despite trying to figure out a plan, she had come up blank. She really just wanted to stay here, where she knew the patterns of the fish and was familiar with the reef, where she had a friend she could talk to. But if something had driven her clan away, it may still be in the area, thus dictating it unsafe to remain.

She started when she felt a hand entwine (poorly, as land-elf hands and mer hands weren’t meant to fit together) with hers, looking over at Leto. His anger had diminished slightly, and he was looking at her with a mixture of pity and hope. “You don’t have to be lonely,” he whispered, eyes searching hers. “Not if you stay. I will keep you company. I won’t leave you, not ever,” he continued, gaze intense and full of an emotion she was unfamiliar with.

Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at him, a warmth filling her. “I don’t know if I can. It might not be safe for me to,” she responded, pink starting to tinge her cheeks as he continued to gaze at her.

“I’ll protect you,” he promised, smiling kindly at her. “No matter what it takes, I will make sure you stay safe.”

She moved forward slightly, leaning into his chest and relishing the feel of his arms wrapping around her. “Then I shall remain, for you,” she murmured, a smile worming its way onto her face despite the seriousness of the situation.

“Good,” came the reply, and she decided that maybe her future wasn’t so bleak after all.

~*~

She stayed with him for about a year and a half, celebrating two birthdays for him and one for her. Every night they would meet at the shoreline and spend hours talking, simply enjoying each other’s company. When a moon became either new or full, she would transform, joining him for the day and night, learning that she did somewhat miss the land life.

It was on a night shortly after his sixteenth birthday that they found themselves dancing on the beach after having a fun day together. There was some sort of tournament coming up at his master’s house, and he had been dismissed for most of the day because the more experienced slaves wanted to make sure everything was perfect. So they had hiked through the woods behind the beach together, exploring and laughing at everything. There had been musicians practicing at the mansion when he brought them dinner, and she had enjoyed listening to it. She had hummed it the rest of the night, swaying this way and that way back to the beach, much to her companion’s amusement. As soon as their feet touched sand, he had bowed before her, hand out, requesting a dance. She had blushed furiously, accepting his invitation to be swept up and twirled around.

They danced, and they danced, and they danced. She was becoming more adept at the finer movements of legs and feet, and stumbled only a few times, each time to be held up by firm arms. Leto would chuckle, smiling at her fondly whenever she’d lose her footing, causing her heart to flip in joy.

He was participating in the tournament at the mansion himself, and he had told her only bits and pieces of what that entailed. She knew that if he won, then his mother and sister would be freed. Because of it, he would be absent for a few nights, as he would have to make sure to get a full night’s rest while he competed. This was the last night they’d have together before he fought, and it was surely the sign of the Mother of the Sea that she was allowed to be on land for it.

So they twirled, and they spun, and they moved their feet together. The night wore on, and she knew soon she would have to change back. Leto dipped her deeply suddenly, causing her to clutch wildly at his arms. He brought her back up, throwing back his head to let out a deep, rich laugh. Over their time together she had experienced his voice deepening and gaining a gravel-like quality to it. It was entrancing, and she loved listening to it.

“I’m not going to drop you, Aura,” he chuckled, stepping away with a small bow to end their dance. “I would never let harm come to you.”

She responded with a clumsy curtsy, smiling at him. “I know that, Leto. I just wasn’t expecting it.”

He turned his face toward the moon, a look of intense sorrow clouding his features. “Our time together is almost up, and I’m afraid that I’ll need to head home to get some sleep anyway.”

She sighed, brushing out the skirt of the dress she had donned for the day. “I know. I really wish I could be there tomorrow,” she said, frowning at the ground in disappointment. She felt him place a few fingers under her chin, bringing her face up to look at him.

He smiled kindly as he placed his other hand on her cheek. “I wish you could be, too. But I fear luck is not on our side in this.” She nuzzled against his hand, the familiar warmth creeping throughout her.

He pulled away suddenly, a hand reaching up to tug on his earlobe. Tilting her head, she considered him; that was a sure sign of nerves with her friend. Was he nervous about tomorrow? She knew he would be fine, that he would win whatever he needed to; Leto was a great man, talented in many things. He was determined to free his family, and she had no doubt that he would succeed. So why was he…?

Her thoughts were cut off abruptly when he surged forward suddenly, pressing warm lips to hers. Her mind shut down momentarily, unable to process what was happening. As the kiss continued, she slowly melted, returning it and reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck.

He broke away to breathe, smiling at her shyly when she looked up at him. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while now,” he admitted, red creeping across his cheeks. She burst into a large grin, unable to speak for fear of her voice shaking. “I don’t suppose I can have another, for good luck?” he asked, drawing a finger across his eyebrow. She nodded, gasping slightly when he leaned down without hesitation, giving her another soft kiss.

This time she broke it, feeling the magic starting to creep through her limbs. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, guilt gnawing at her for ruining it for him.

He chuckled, cupping her cheek, a wide smile on his face. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Aura. But I need to go, and you have to return to the sea. I’ll see you in a few days?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed, launching herself into his arms for one last hug before he left. He pulled her in tight, squeezing for a moment before releasing her. He took her hand, brushing his lips lightly across her knuckles, causing shivers to ripple through her body.

“I look forward to it, then,” he said, voice low. Pulling away, he gave her another bow before turning and disappearing into the trees.

She watched him go, a smile plastered across her features. She touched light fingers to her own lips, ecstasy coursing through her veins. She waded into the water, her excitement remaining unsullied by the chilly water or pain clawing at her.

She couldn’t wait to see him again.

~*~

Three days passed, then a week. A month, two months, four months. Every night she waited at the shoreline, either propped up on a rock or sitting on the sand, watching for her friend. She tried to keep her hopes up, not wanting to admit to herself that he had left her, just like her family.

But he never came back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY, I'm sorry, you knew it had to happen eventually. *cries*  
> Poor Leto.
> 
> FYI, mers age slower than their land counterparts in this story. So when Aurellia showed up, she was 28, which was the equivalent of Leto's 14. At the end of this chapter, he is 16 but she's only going to be turning 30- or 15. 
> 
> That'll be more relevant later.


	6. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurellia lucks out in meeting another merperson, who also manages to save her from being eaten by a fearsome sea monster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one is on the shorter side. *shrug*

 

The water slid past Aurellia as she swam leisurely, twirling and enjoying the open sea around her. She had been venturing further and further away from the coast, exploring the vast ocean as she could. Some months she could swim out more than others, depending on when the moons would cruelly force her into her human form. 

She had been on her own for nearly two years, and she no longer yearned to walk the sandy shores of the land dwellers. She looked forward to the day she became an adult, when the ability to change with the pull of the moon became a choice; she could allow the magic to ripple through her and trade her tail for legs, or she could decline and remain in the ocean.

A brightly colored fish flitted past her, and she briefly considered chasing it. While she watched it, tugging lightly on her hair, she felt the water start to become more turbulent. She first looked to the surface, expecting to see the underside of a boat as the cause for the change around her. When no darkened wood passed over (or even near) her, she spun in a full circle slowly, eyeing the water around her. Still she saw nothing. Turning back to the fish, she saw that it had already left. Shrugging, she moved on, swimming away from the tempestuous currents. 

She continued forth for a while, chewing on the inside of her cheek when she noticed the lack of fish nearby. It wasn’t just her rainbow-colored friend who had fled; there were _no_ other sea creatures for as far as she could see. Fear started to settle deep in her belly, and she sped up her movements, propelling her faster through the water.

Despite her increased speed, she became aware of a presence approaching her. Not daring to look behind, she pushed herself to swim faster still, alarmed when she felt it gaining on her. Panic began to set in as she realized that whatever was there was going to overtake her regardless of what she could do.

Suddenly a hand latched onto her wrist, and she jerked her head to the side to see a merman smiling wanly at her, strawberry blonde hair framing his young face. “No time to explain,” he said, tugging her forward. “We need to get out of here.” He released her, offering his elbow instead. She hesitated only for a moment before threading her arm through, remembering how her parents would do this with her or her siblings whenever they needed to move faster than the children could swim.

Sure enough, as soon as she was secure, the man gave a powerful thrust of his tail, driving them through the sea at a pace she could not have matched. The sense of urgency she felt radiating off of him only increased her nerves, and so she too beat her tail against the water, hoping to increase the speed. It worked, and soon they were sailing through the ocean faster than she had ever swam before.

She realized that while she had sensed him behind her, there was still a much more threatening presence beyond them still. As they swam further away, she felt her anxiety decrease; yet, he still plowed onward. She realized belatedly that they were headed toward the coast as the ocean floor started becoming shallow. She attempted to slow down so they wouldn’t crash into the sand, but he continued to drag her forward. “We can’t stop yet,” he hissed, pulling her even as they passed the safe point of swimming, nearing where their bellies and tails would start to drag on the ground.

There was a bright flash of light and suddenly she was scooped up in strong arms, grasping wildly at his broad shoulders for a place to hold onto as he ran through the water, headed toward a small cave in the distance. Her eyes widened as she stared down at his _legs_ , his very long, _naked legs_ that were carrying them at a rather impressive speed away from the water. A booming roar startled her, and she whipped her head around to see an enormous spiked tail disappearing back into the water in the distance. Suddenly it clicked.

“Leviathan!” she squawked, wrapping her arms around the mysterious man’s neck and burying her head into his chest. She heard the pounding of his feet against the sand as he continued to run, his heart racing fast as she felt it beat against her ear. Abruptly he skidded to a stop, and she looked up to see they were at the cave, him now prowling inside cautiously. Letting go of her with one hand, he called up a bright orb, lighting up the cave in its entirety. It wasn’t too big, only deep enough to allow for people to lay out flat in one layer with a fire near the entrance; but that meant that there was no cause for concern about anything creeping out and attacking them.

She realized he was shaking as he held her, panting from the workout he had just had. He padded to the back wall of the cave, sitting down roughly and releasing her into his lap. “Sorry about that,” he rasped out, switching to the human language in wake of his change. He gave her a lopsided smile, an action that only increased his attractiveness. “I couldn’t let it eat you, either.”

“You… you changed?” she stuttered out, mind still reeling from his present state of humanity. “But it… it’s not… the moon?” she ended dumbly, unable to piece together the words she desired. Between the shock of him changing and the still-present fear of the monster in the sea, she felt slightly overwhelmed. Two years of being utterly alone didn’t help the situation either.

“I- yes, I did,” he said sheepishly, looking down at where she rested on his lap. “It’s…a talent my clan has. Well, had. I’m uh… I’m the only one left.” He shifted slightly, his look growing sad as he stared at his hands.

Aurellia chewed on her lip as she considered him. He was alone, just like her- but his situation was so much worse. At least her family was still alive (to her knowledge, at least) and thriving somewhere, most likely happy even without her. He had no one left.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

“Oh no, don’t do that,” he exclaimed when he looked up to see a single droplet make a path down her cheek. “It’s fine, really. It’s been a few years so I’ve had a chance to adjust. I mean, I’ll never _really_ get over it but it’s not a raw wound anymore. Please, don’t worry yourself.” He reached up and wiped away the tear, a surprisingly intimate action. “Besides, you’re alone, too.”

She slid off his lap, unwilling to intrude upon his personal space any further. “Yes, but that’s only because my clan had to move on before I could return to them,” she said sadly. “They’re out there somewhere.” She let out a weak laugh, reaching up to tug on one of her drying red locks of hair. “Maybe the Sea Mother will smile on me and I will see them again.”

He gazed at her sorrowfully, remaining silent. She knew what he would have said had he spoken, anyway; the sea is much too large to run into the same group of mer twice. This was just a thing that was, and she knew it to be true. Still, she never let that knowledge put a damper on the small ray of hope in her heart.

The sound of an angry roar filled the cavern, and she unconsciously slithered closer to him. Sand caught in between her scales, ripping and biting in pain, but her fear let her ignore that presently. “Will it… can it get us?” she asked nervously, hiding her face in his shoulder when he slipped an arm around her and pulled her close. Leviathans were horrendous sea dragons that swam through the deeper parts of the ocean, their insatiable appetite and supernaturally large mouth allowing them to do things such as swallow ships whole. They had large spikes that ran along their back and six long tentacle-like arms that could reach out to grab onto their quarry. They were one of the reasons the merfolk kept to the reefs near the shore, where they were unlikely to venture for prey. She had never heard of one coming so close to land.

Much to her relief, the man beside her shook his head. “It isn’t able to leave the water,” he said confidently. She turned her face to look up at him as he spoke, surprised to find him smiling kindly down at her. “We are far enough up on the beach that it couldn’t reach us no matter what it tried. But we should stay here for a day or two, just to make sure it leaves the area.”

She nodded; it would work out well enough anyway, as the new moon was approaching within the next few days. She would stay here, with this man, until after the transformation was complete. Then… then they could see what happened.

She didn’t necessarily want to go back to traveling alone; it was lonely and desolate. Yet she didn’t know this merman in the slightest, and his odd ability to shift at any time unnerved her slightly.

“By the way,” the voice grumbled, snapping her out of her thoughts. He brushed back some of her hair that had fallen into her face, still smiling at her. “My name is Anders.”

“I’m Aurellia.”


	7. Chapter 7

Aurellia found that she enjoyed the company of the blonde merman, laughing more than she had in a long time. He was funny, flirty and very intelligent, always ready to do something outrageous in the name of fun. When the new moon came, he stayed with her, remaining in his two-legged form to help her find food and explore.

"So your clan can all change at will?" she asked that night as they sat around a roaring fire. When he had showed her how to gather wood, she had been confused about why they needed it. Anders had laid the sticks in a particular pattern before holding his hand and calling forth a flame, distributing it among the wood in front of him. She had watched, entranced, never having seen a fire before. Her attempt to touch it had resulted in a rather bad burn on a finger, her eyes wide as she retracted it quickly and placed it in her mouth. He had laughed at her, coaxing her finger back out to heal it gently.

She was fascinated.

"Yes," he said, tossing a small shell into the crackling flames. He was sitting with his arms on his knees, chin resting on his forearms. "We actually used to live on a beach outside of the Anderfels, variating between spending time in the ocean and on the land. It's a nice talent to have, makes it easy to blend in with human society."

She gazed at him over the flames, curiosity piqued. "You lived on the land?" Her brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of that; they were born of eggs, hatched with tails. How could that work on land?

A snort of amusement brought her back to the present, Anders smiling at her kindly. "Yes, at times. A lot of it depended on if humans were passing through. We are able able to switch forms from a fairly early age, some can as early as six. Up until then, obviously the family spent most of their time in the water. Some chose to spend their whole life in the coral. It was a personal decision." He shrugged, running a hand through his hair.

"What did you decide?" she queried, tilting her head to the side and tugging on a piece of her hair.

"Ah. Well. For me to make a decision, I would have had to have had a mate. I... was close to choosing someone. But..." he trailed off, gazing off into the distance with a forlorn look on his face. Aurellia chewed on her cheek, regretting bringing up the subject if it was going to cause him sadness.

He shook his head, sitting back and placing his palms on the sand behind him. "Well. My clan is no more. So that's that."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, dropping her eyes to the ground and digging in the sand with a finger. She looked up in surprise when she heard him move next to her, pulling her chin up to look at him.

"Don't be. It's not your fault. How's your finger?" He grabbed her hand, pulling the digit out to look at it.

"It-It's fine. Doesn't hurt anymore. Don't touch fire," she grumbled, casting a glare at the flames in front of her.

He let out a merry laugh, one hand on his belly as he continued chortling. "Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it." He dropped her finger, apparently satisfied with what he saw. "Hmm. Well, it's about that time," he said, raising a hand to douse the fire with a spurt of water. He chuckled again at her look of amazement at the seemingly simple action, holding out a palm and calling forth a simple magelight. "Magic," he explained, smiling as her eyes widened. "You can touch this one. It's another gift of my clan. Not all of us have it, but a few do- the result of human blood in our veins."

"Human blood?" she asked distractedly, gingerly reaching out to poke at the light. Her finger drifted through it, a tingling sensation crawling through her hand at the contact. She giggled, withdrawing.

"Occasionally a mer will mate with a human. Because of how our clan lives, it was allowed under very specific circumstances. And with mingling our blood came the magic the creatures of the land possess."

She nodded, though she didn't completely understand. Mating with land-creatures? Magic? The ability to shift at will? It was such a foreign concept to her.

He stood up, extinguishing the light and holding his hand out to her. "Let's get you back in the water." She reached up, taking it and allowing him to pull her to her feet.

~*~

She asked if she could travel with him, pleased when he accepted enthusiastically. Neither had any place they particularly desired to be, so they agreed to just travel. This was due to be a longer break between her transformations, so they decided to go to a land to the south, a place Anders called "Ferelden." He had grown up hearing about the rest of Thedas, and had learned many things about the creatures of the land that she did not. As they swam, he would tell her the tales he had heard from travelers, stories of wars and gods and mages (which was apparently what he was). She learned that he was 36, only two years beyond the age allowed to mate. She had known he was older, for he had the scales of an adult on his tail, assuming he was still near her age. At 32, she still had a year or two before her own adult scales would come in, a fact that had not bothered her before.

The more they traveled, the more her age started to bother her. She found that she was becoming increasingly attracted to him, her stomach fluttering pleasantly whenever he came close. She would use any excuse to touch him, her cheeks flaming if she succeeded. He always flirted with her, winking and nudging her whenever he made a joke. She didn't know how to take his behavior, thinking that maybe that was just the way he was, not wanting to get her hopes up for any returned affection.

Eventually he opened up about Karl, the man he was going to make his mate. Anders had courted him, performing the customary mating dance when Karl accepted. All that had been left was the mating itself, performed under a full moon. Anders had been very excited; Karl had been kind, intelligent and loving, not to mention very _handsome_. His tail had been a beautiful vibrant red, wonderfully complimenting Anders' own dark green tail.

Then the village was attacked.

Templars, a sort of land-person military force, had descended upon the clan, killing most and capturing any who displayed signs of magic. Anders had been out in the water with Karl that day, doing another mating dance in anticipation of the coming full moon. The sound of mer screaming had vibrated through the water, attracting their attention. When they surfaced to find the huts on fire, the sand soaked in blood and death surrounding them, they immediately swam back underwater to escape.

Anders had made it. Karl was not so fortunate.

An enchanted harpoon had sliced through the water, heading directly toward Anders' chest. He had braced himself, knowing it was unavoidable when a body slammed against his; Karl throwing himself in front to take the blow. The metal slid through his skin like butter, piercing him straight through the heart. Anders had watched him float to the surface, pulled away by the weapon, feeling like it was his own heart that had been destroyed. When a boat started out in the water toward him, he turned and bolted.

That was two years ago, and he had been on his own ever since.

~*~

They made it to Ferelden within a month, only having to stop twice for her. Anders transformed when the reached shore, donning some clothes they had found on an unguarded ship along the way. They were wet, but he dried them off fairly quickly before disappearing to see what the nearest settlement was, its walls rising in the distance. Aurellia scoped out the coastline, looking for either a suitable reef or a cave that they could remain in. She found the latter, hidden under the water a few paces away from the shore. It looked like it had perhaps been cultivated with the intent to be lived in, with one large room and two small ones branching off to the sides. It was, however, in such a state of decay that it was obviously unoccupied. Perfect for them.

She swam around, collecting different bits of seaweed and the occasional debris that looked like a promising addition to a nest. When she finished hers, she dithered for a moment before deciding to build one for Anders- at least he could fix it instead of having to start from scratch. So she ventured back out, finding as much as she could before returning to lay the seaweed together in the larger of the two offshoots, arranging it meticulously in a manner she hoped he'd like. When she was satisfied with the result, she floated back out to the front, looking around to see if there was a place she could store food. There was a small hole dug out in the ground; yes, that would do fine.

She hunted for a while, returning with a large amount of shelled creatures and a few different types of kelp. The underwater life was slightly different than what she was used to, having never swam this far south before, but she was able to find enough similarities that she felt confident in what she had collected. By this point, most of the day had passed and she settled down, waiting for Anders to return.

She was woke by a soft hand on her shoulder, warm amber eyes smiling down at her. "Sorry I was gone so long," he said softly, swimming back to give her some space. She straightened up, yawning and stretching her sleepy body.

"s'okay," she slurred, yawning again. "Didn't mean to fall asleep."

He laughed, circling the room. "Well, I'll admit that I was worried at first, not being able to find you. Consequently, did you know you snore?" He turned to look at her, laughing at the flush rising up her embarrassed face. "It's cute. And the vibrations attracted me to this area. This is a great find; look at this place, it's huge!"

She smiled shyly at him, reaching out to nab his hand as he swam past. "There's more!" She pulled him toward the back where the two rooms were, veering to the left to enter his. She released him once they were inside, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at the pile of seaweed in the middle of the room with a surprised look on his face. "I, uh. I made you a nest?" She groaned quietly at how she turned it into a question. No, she needed to be _confident._ "I made you a nest," she said, much more resolutely this time. "I... I don't know if its how you'd like it, but, you know..." she let out a nervous giggle, letting the words trail off.

When she faced him this time, he was directing a strange look at her. "You... made me a nest?" She nodded, the flush rising back up. She grabbed a piece of her hair that was floating near her and twirled her finger in it, chewing on the inside of her lip while trying to decipher the hooded tone. He turned back to the nest, running a hand through his hair and letting out his own nervous laugh. "You... you do know what that usually means, right?"

"That I made you something to sleep on?" she squeaked, giving him a weak smile.

"You have no idea," he answered softly,  a look of wonder on his face. "You were left before you were taught how to court."

She recoiled at the statement, eyes widening at the implications of her action. "I-no, I didn't- uh," she stammered unhelpfully, turning a deep crimson. "I-I mean, yes, I li-like you, but I-" she stopped, casting her eyes to the ground.

"Hey, look at me," he said gently, swimming to face her. She shook her head slightly, absolutely mortified at her slip-up. A finger appeared under her chin, pushing her face up to look at him. She bit her lip as she met his gaze, worried that he was going to cast her off now. But he just looked at her, eyes searching her face carefully before leaning in to place a soft kiss upon her lips. She gasped at the contact, the memory of another young man flashing before her eyes briefly. _No,_ she thought even as the lips touched hers. _Leto is gone. Anders is here._

Anders pulled back, placing a hand on her cheek and smiling at her. "I would have to be blind not to have noticed your interest in me," he said in a low voice, eyes full of an intensity she had never seen before. "But you are still too young, Lia. Your scales have not come in yet. When that day comes, if you will still have me, then I will be here." He kissed her again, just as gently as before. This time when he broke it, he pulled back, a look of fondness on his face. "Thank you for the nest. It was very thoughtful of you."


	8. No Longer a Smolt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurellia becomes an adult! She gets her wish! But good things never last.

They stayed in their cave off the coast of Ferelden for a little over a year. Aurellia was nervous about the extended stay, occasionally asking if they should move on, but Anders seemed unconcerned. He insisted that unless some sort of danger made itself known, there was no reason to leave. The cave suited them perfectly, and it was unlikely they'd find another like it easily. When the moons forced her transformation, he would join her, and after procuring some clothes from the city, he took her to explore it. Denerim was large and smelled of something Anders called "wet dog." At first she had been frightened when she saw just what a _dog_ was- it was huge, brown and looked like it could eat her for breakfast. But when they approached it, it had whined and sniffed her, letting her pet it without any sort of malice present. She, of course, fell in love with dogs from that moment forth.

One morning Aurellia woke up with an itch on her tail. As she reached down to scratch it, she vaguely wondered if she had somehow gotten some sand or seaweed stuck under her scales that would have irritated the skin there. Running her sharp fingernails underneath the scale to try to draw out the problem, she let out a large gasp when the scale fell into her hand. Sitting upright quickly, she leaned over to examine her tail. Underneath where the discarded scale had been was a new one, bright, shiny and a deep purple color.

She could have died of happiness right then and there.

Letting out a whoop, she swam in a circle excitedly, doing a small victory dance. She was excited to be entering the final stage of her time as a smolt, crossing the threshold into adulthood. She felt that she had been waiting forever, despite the fact that she had been in no hurry until she met Anders.

Who, at the sound of her joyful cries, came swimming cautiously into the room. "Lia?" he asked, a smile blooming on his face as he watched her swim in a graceful arc. "Is everything alright?"

She beamed at him, quickly dropping down to his level and approached him with her tail out in front. "Look!" she said, pointing at the new scale shining proudly amongst the others. "It...it just fell off!"

He stared at the spot, reaching a finger out to gingerly run it across the scale. "It's beautiful," he murmured, and she felt a shiver course through her at both his voice and the feeling of him touching her. "Beautiful, just like the rest of you." He looked up and caught her eye, giving her a warm smile. "You'll be a full-blown adult soon, Lia."

She dropped her tail, swimming closer to him, to the point their noses almost touched. "Does that mean that we can...?" she trailed off, biting the inside of her cheek and wondering if she was being too bold. Since the kiss they had shared when she presented him with his nest, he had steered clear of touching her unless absolutely necessary, and she had begun to wonder if maybe she had misinterpreted his words that day. Perhaps he hadn't meant that he wanted to mate with her; maybe he only desired to remain friends but was saying he'd help her find someone else.

He chuckled, running the back of his hand down her cheek softly. "When your scales are fully shed, yes. I am willing to perform the mating dance with you to see if we are compatible."

Her smile faltered and she wilted a bit at his words. He was _willing_ to give it a shot. That was a far cry from _wanting_ to. She didn't want him to do it only out of pity, or because he felt like he had to since she liked him. She wanted him to genuinely be interested in a life with her.

He seemed to sense her distress, leaning forward to give her a soft kiss. Her heart sped up at the touch, her skin tingling where he had placed a hand on her shoulder. When he pulled back, he brushed a hand gently through her hair, spreading out the floating red locks even more. "I see what you're thinking, Lia, and don't. I wouldn't've offered if I didn't genuinely desire to do so. You're a beautiful mer with such a pure and sweet heart that I'd have to be an idiot not to be attracted to you. But we can't rush this, okay?" He had placed both his hands on her cheeks, staring deep into her eyes. She nodded, smiling shyly up at him.

She couldn't believe it. He wanted her.

~*~

It took about three more months for her to fully shed the iridescent scales of her smolthood, giving way to a tail so dark of a purple that it looked black in the deeper parts of the ocean. It shimmered and shone, and when her hair floated next to it, they complimented each other in a way she could never have hoped for. The morning her last few scales fell to the ground, she floated around in her room a little, waiting to feel different. She scrunched her lips to the side of her face, furrowing her brows in confusion with nothing changed. Was something wrong? Were there still a few scales she wasn't aware of? She twisted and turned, trying to look at all angles of her tail to see if that was the case.

"Lia? What- What are you doing?" Anders was at the entrance to her room with his arms crossed over his chest, observing her with a mixture of amusement and concern. "Is there something wrong with your tail?"

She shook her head as she slowed to a stop. "No, I mean, I don't think so. I just- the last off my scales fell of this morning, I think, but I don't feel any different?" She chewed on her cheek while tugging on a lock of hair. "I thought I'd _feel_ like an adult now, but I don't, so I thought maybe there were still some scales hidden there?"

He chuckled, uncrossing his arms and flicking his tail to move closer. "Well, I can check to see if you've shed all your smoltling scales, but you're not going to feel any different. That's not how it works." She watched as he ran his hands up and down her tail, fingers feeling for any scales that may be hidden to the blind eye. She had trouble breathing as he continued to exam her, trying to contain the shivers that wanted to cascade through her at his touch. "They're all gone," he said, dropping his hands off her tail and swimming back a few paces. "You're an adult now." He gazed at her, an intensity burning in his eyes that made her shudder.

"Anders..." she whispered, her breath hitching as she spoke his name. He reached out a hand to her, a silent question that she understood. She swam forward, placing her smaller palm in his, heart racing as he closed his around hers. He pulled her gently out through the larger room toward the exit, leading her into the open water beyond their cave. "Anders, I don't know-"

She was interrupted by a soft kiss, a brushing of lips that took her breath away. "It's not something you learn," he murmured, placing another kiss against the side of her lips. "If we are compatible, it will come naturally." He pulled back, dropping her hand and swimming out of her reach. She watched him with wide eyes as he started to movie, swimming in circles around her at first, his body undulating as he twirled gracefully.

She was surprised when her tail started to flick seemingly of its own volition, moving her back and forth. At first she resisted, scared and unsure of what was happening. A hand fell on her arm and she turned to see Anders smiling at her confidently. "That's good, don't hold back. Just let your body do what it wants to." He pulled back again, spinning with his arms above his head and eyes closed, body moving back and forth to an unheard rhythm. This time when her body started moving, she let go. Soon they were swimming around each other, looping and twirling in graceful arcs, gradually moving closer and closer until they were nearly touching. They entwined their arms, tails carrying them around as they danced together, bodies pressing together as they joined in a passionate kiss.

"Was that...?" she gasped when they broke, her entire body tingling with pleasure. She had never felt anything like what she was currently experiencing, her chest heaving as she tried to process the flood of feelings washing over her.

"Yes," he responded, pressing his forehead to hers. "That means we're compatible. So... if you want, next time we transform, we can become mates."

"Oh, please!" she cried out before she could stop herself, eyes widening as she slapped a hand over her mouth. She was horrified at her outburst, worried that he'd change his mind upon hearing her eagerness.

He laughed, pulling away her hand to place another kiss upon her lips. "You're going to inflate my ego to an unmanageable level if you keep up that level of enthusiasm, Lia." He ran a hand down the side of her face, smiling fondly at her even as a blush bloomed across her cheeks. "Let's go get some breakfast, sweetheart." He disentangled himself from her, floating in the direction of their cave. She watched him as he lazily flicked his tale, hands behind his head as he swum away on his back. She let out a snort, moving to follow.

Suddenly a net descended into the water, surrounding and scooping up Anders. He went ramrod straight, eyes blown wide in fear as the rope closed in around him.

"ANDERS!" Aurellia screamed, shooting forward only to be shoved back when he released a blast of energy through the water. He shook his head as the net started to ascend, yelling at her to get away.

"Get back to the cave! Save yourself! Please, Aurellia! Just GO!" His voice became increasingly panicked as she stayed frozen in spot, his gestures growing wild. "Go before they get you too," he pleaded right before the net breached the surface, causing him to disappear from her line of view. She chewed on her cheek, debating what to do when she heard a loud noise from above her, looking up to see the shadow of a net falling toward the water. She cast a final glance in the direction Anders had disappeared before giving a powerful thrust of her tail and diving down. She swam as fast and hard as she could until she reached the cave, where she collapsed, praying to the Sea Mother that he would escape and find his way back to her.


	9. Kirkwall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurellia makes it to Kirkwall, and sees a few faces she didn't expect.

The large ship slid effortlessly through the water, its tan sails flapping merrily in the wind. The deep brown color of the wood was offset by trimmings of gold outlining the various decks of the vessel, joining in the front to wrap around a large, decorative half-naked woman with a tail as black as the sea. A siren, in reference to the ships name - The Siren's Call.

Deep beneath in the ocean, a familiar figure swam. Bright red hair floated behind her, the dark purple tail thrusting her forward at a pace to easily match the ship above her. Since undertaking the journey to rescue her friend, her endurance and speed had increased considerably, especially once she joined forces with the captain of the vessel. Now if she had the spare energy, she could dance in the water, twisting and twirling and diving to keep boredom from setting in while still keeping up with one of the "fastest ships on the seas." 

Aurellia changed the angle of her tail and pushed herself toward the surface, breaking the water with relative ease and flying through the air. She gave a cheerful wave at the chuckling captain, a dark-skinned, dark-haired beauty who was the sole reason she was headed to a place called The Free Marches in search of the man had planned to mate. She had found Isabela floating in the ocean clinging to a scrap of broken wood, half-drowned and nearly hypothermic. She had suffered a mutiny, her own brother wrangling enough of the crew against her to walk her off the plank to what should have been her death. Aurellia had dragged her to the nearest shore, pulling her up on the beach and trying to dislodge the water from her lungs. She knew very little about how to help humans who were water-logged, but logic dictated that it would be in their lungs, so she pushed on her chest and tried to help her breathe. It worked, and she turned Isabela on her side when she started coughing up water, patting her on the back in hopes of helping. Dark brown eyes had stared up at her in confusion as the pirate attempted to process what was happening, seeming surprised to be alive. Once she recovered from that shock, she had taken the rest rather well, not at all concerned about Aurellia being a mermaid. 

They worked together to get her ship back, Isabela promising that she had contacts that could help find Anders. The crew she put together was mostly temporary, a few only on the ship because they needed passage and no other captain would take them. So she had taken the rag-tag group and attacked her brother, catching him by surprise and taking back the vessel much easier than anticipated.

This time, Aurellia did not save the person who walked off the plank, despite the guilt that gnawed at her for days after for doing nothing.

Isabela had kept her word, reaching out to a few people in the various countries to see what could be found. She got her answer from something called a "dwarf" in a place known as "Kirkwall," claiming the Circle of Magi there was keeping something hidden in their vaults; rumor among the cityfolk varied, but most agreed it was some sort of water creature. Not the most promising lead, but it was the only one they had. Isabela had pledged herself to helping Aurellia retrieve Anders, knowing how difficult such a mission would be for a mer, only able to walk the land for a limited amount of time on certain days of the month.

They were closing the distance between them and this mysterious place, Aurellia convinced they were heading in the right way. She felt something in her heart, a sort of tugging as they continued, a whisper of untold promises. She smiled, diving back under the water to find herself something to eat, eager to reach the shore.

~*~

Kirkwall loomed in front, a city full of large buildings over the horizon. The passage into the port was outlined by rough cliffs, two large statues at the entrance depicting broken slaves. It was daunting and unsettling, to say the least. Isabela was circling the waters outside, waiting to enter and dock for Aurellia's transformation to hit. She was currently on board the ship, shivering under a blanket as she felt the magic slowly start to build. She had opted out of switching to human form for three years, having no reason to go ashore without Anders. She had spent the first few years tracking ships that came in and out of Ferelden, hoping to find one similar to what had glided over them the day Anders had been taken from her. She had failed in that, and had spent a year in the ocean trying to move on after giving up. That was when she had the fortune to run into Isabela.

It had been so long she forgot how it felt, the magic skittering across her skin and through her veins, the unpleasant tingling that accompanied her muscles starting to reshape. The ripping of her tail made her cry out, gritting her teeth as the scales fell and gave away to smooth skin, her bottom fins being exchanged for feet. She felt the gills on her neck seal up and for a brief moment panicked, until she remembered she could breathe without them. Finally, her ears changed to what the humans used, and she felt what it was to be human for the first time in three and a half years.

"Here, sweet thing. These should fit you," Isabela said, holding out a tunic and a pair of trousers. Aurellia reached out from under the blanket, nodding and taking them silently.

"Alright everybody, back up, nothing to see here," a loud, female voice boomed from behind her before she felt herself being pulled up onto unsteady legs. "You shouldn't drop that blanket here; too many unpleasant eyes. Let's get you below deck." Aurellia let out a shaky laugh as she was hoisted into the woman's arms, her own spiraled red hair bouncing against the straight, darker red hair of her rescuer.

"Thanks, Aveline," she said softly, thankful to have one other person on board she trusted besides Isabela. Aveline had been a rather unwilling crew member, one of those joining out of pure desperation. She had made it clear of her intentions to depart once they reached Kirkwall, wanting to find some honest work for herself. Aurellia knew she'd miss her, but was hopeful that she could find the happiness she was searching for.

"Of course, Hawke, I'm happy to help. It's not like you would know how to deal with those cretins out there if they tried to swarm you." Aveline placed her on the floor once they reached the lower deck, turning around to give her privacy. "Now, get dressed so we can get off this Maker-forsaken boat."

Aurellia laughed, pulling on the tunic and leggings clumsily. She was rather impressed with herself for remembering which limb to put through what hole, not having messed with it in so long. She figured she did all right, though, when Aveline turned back around and gave her an approving look. 

It didn't take long for Isabela to redirect the ship into the docks, completing the required paperwork for the ship to remain there. Once everything was set, she dismissed the crew, motioning for Aurellia to follow her. "Let's go talk to Varric," she said, taking Aurellia's hand and helping her navigate through the crowded streets. Surprisingly, Aveline followed, mumbling about needing to make sure Isabela didn't get the poor mer into any undue trouble. Isabela laughed heartily, cracking jokes back at the woman she fondly called "Lady Man-Hands." Aurellia just smiled, occasionally chuckling under her breath at their antics.

They had to climb an inordinate amount of stairs, Aurellia needing to stop and rest on multiple occasions, her legs unused to the work. It was during one such break that she saw a flash of black hair and bright blue eyes, a tall man passing nearby that made her heart stop. "Carver?" she whispered, eyes wide in shock. "Carver!" She called louder, jolting forward to try to rush to him, only managing to fall to her knees when her legs buckled. He stopped, looking around in confusion upon hearing his name, before a young woman with long, dark brown hair slammed into him, laughing and pulling him into the mass. He cast a doubtful look back in Aurellia's direction before disappearing from her vision completely.

"Sweet thing? Are you okay?" Isabela squatted next to her, face full of concern. "Was that someone you knew?" She reached out a hand, Aurellia taking it and allowing herself to be pulled back to her feet.

"That... I think that was my brother," she said, emotions whirring throughout her. "I haven't seen him in eight years. He's grown so much." Her voice was thick, tinged with sadness as she stared at the spot he had been in. He had been so _tall_ , his shoulders broad and his face that of someone nearing adulthood; she wanted to weep that she had missed out on so much. Could the young woman have been Bethany? It was possible. She wanted to chase after them, but her weak legs told her that wouldn't be possible. She silently cursed herself for not having transformed at every chance to keep her muscles sharp; maybe then she could have reached him before he left.

But that meant her clan was _here_ , somewhere outside the city. She felt her heart lift at the thought, resolving to find them when she turned back. She set her face into a look of determination, pursing her lips together. For now, she needed to focus on meeting Varric and seeing if his information was worth anything. "Let's keep going," she urged, shakily taking a step forward.

Aveline slid an arm under around her, helping her stay standing. "Yes, I think it might be wise if we hurry up and get to this tavern, so you can sit in a chair and rest," she agreed, looking pointedly at Isabela. "Lead the way."

They weren't far at all, and soon they were entering an establishment called The Hanged Man, Isabela directing them up yet another flight of stairs in the back, this set at least blissfully short. She knocked on a door at the top, waiting until she heard a tenor voice call for them to enter before pushing it open, beckoning for the two redheads to follow. Aurellia leaned into Aveline a little more, breathless from the exertion and her leg muscles screaming at her. She focused on the floor in front of her, placing one foot in front of the other until she was next to a chair, collapsing heavily into it and brushing her wild hair out of her face. She had forgotten how it stuck out in every which way when dry, spiraled, frizzy and completely unmanageable. She leaned back in the chair, chest heaving as she looked across the table to see two men there. One-Varric, she assumed- was short with blonde hair pulled out of his face by a tie, wearing a deep red shirt trimmed in gold that was unbuttoned far enough to allow an ample glimpse of chest hair. The other had auburn hair slicked back out of his tanned face, gleaming white armor reflecting the firelight.

"Varric, this is Aurellia Hawke, our little mer-friend." Aurellia lifted a weak hand in greeting, still catching her breath as Isabela did introductions. "And this one is Aveline, though I'm not entirely sure why she came with us."

"I told you, I wanted to make sure you didn't get her involved in anything untoward," Aveline snapped, taking a seat next to Aurellia. "She's too innocent for that."

The dwarf's brow knitted as he gazed thoughtfully at Aurellia. "Hawke, huh? Not the first time I've heard that name here," he said as he tapped a finger thoughtfully on the table in front of him. "I'm Varric, and this is Sebastian." The indicated man inclined his head politely, flashing a smile at her which she returned quickly, struck by his handsomeness. "We are two of the three who are set to help you try to get your friend out. The third should be showing up anytime now, hopefully sober this time." Varric leaned forward, laying his hands in front of him as he gave her a lopsided smile. "I'm more than willing to help you with this, but you need to know: it's going to take time. And we need to get you a set of legs for longer than a day. Luckily, I think I know of someone who can help us with that."

She blinked at him, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought. "You think... that you can find a way for me to stay human for longer?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as she regarded him, combating the urge to tug on her hair. She had no desire to let him see how nervous she was about this whole ordeal.

He nodded, watching her closely. "There is a rumor of a mer who was banished from her clan for wanting to live among the humans. Supposedly she resides here in Kirkwall, where she remains in her human form at all times."

Aurellia narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. She had only ever heard of mers being able to live as humans full-time from one other person: Anders, and supposedly it was just his clan. She wasn't sure if she believed that it was possible for anyone else, and her hackles raised. Before she had a chance to express her doubts, the door behind her slammed open and soft footsteps entered the room.

"My apologies for being late," a low voice growled behind her. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on why- at least, not until one of the chairs across from her scraped over the floor and the newcomer lowered himself gingerly into it. She stared at the elf that had joined them, eyes wide at what she saw: shocking white hair contrasting a dusky skin tone, two tattoos starting at the chin and traveling down the neck, disappearing underneath the armor he was wearing, and large green eyes that landed blankly on her. Despite the hair and tattoos, she knew exactly who she was looking at.

"...Leto?"


	10. What She Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussions with Fenris and a trip into the ocean to find her family.

Aurellia was struggling. Her mind was overwhelmed trying to process every unexpected thing that had happened today, from seeing Carver to having Leto sit down in front of her. Never had she expected to see any of her family again; the oceans of the world were far too large, and they had no distinct pattern to their travel. She had long since given up any hope of a happy reunion, knowing there were mers who traveled the sea alone for years before coming upon another clan. It had been pure luck that brought Anders into her life, something she had been thankful for from the start. But to have the opportunity to see her family again? She would definitely be scoping out the shores around Kirkwall when her time was up.

Then there was Leto. He was no longer the boy she remembered, his dark hair replaced by white and a new set of tattoos gracing his chin. But his eyes were the same, large and green and breathtaking. Yet he no longer looked at her with the fondness she remembered from so long ago; no, now he gazed at her blankly, no recognition on his face. She couldn't help but feel hurt, like a stake had been shoved into her heart. They had been such good friends on that beach, and then he had kissed her. But no, he abandoned her long ago, left her alone after the tournament, making her think that he had perished or moved on. Obviously, the latter was the truth. He had decided that he no longer wanted anything to do with her, and the embodiment of that was in front of her.

He didn't even know who she was.

She couldn't help feeling something was wrong, though. When she had breathed out his name in disbelief, he hadn't even flinched. He had continued to look at her with a sort of cool neutrality as though unconcerned that she knew who he was.

"Ladies, this is Fenris," came the warm voice of Varric. Aurellia snapped her eyes away from the elf for a brief moment to blink in a confused manner at Varric. _Fenris?_ she thought, glancing back at Leto before quickly dropping her eyes to the table. _But that can't be right. It's Leto, I just know it._

"Fenris, this is Aurellia Hawke, the lovely woman we will be helping rescue a friend of hers that was wrongly taken to the Gallows," Varric finished, the sound of his tapping fingers floating throughout the room.

A derisive snort came from above her, and she looked up to see Leto- _Fenris_ , she reminded herself - sneering at her. "You attest that your friend was incorrectly taken into captivity?" he asked, leaning forward with his hands clasped together. He raised an eyebrow at her as he waited for her answer, a look she remembered seeing upon his inquisitive face often in his youth.

She latched onto a piece of her hair and started tugging at it, unable to contain her nerves any longer. "Y-yes," she stammered, swallowing past the lump in her throat. She wasn't sure if she could speak to him like this, with him looking at her like she was a stranger and using a different name. But she needed to try, for Anders' sake. She took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly through her nose as she mentally steeled herself. "Yes, I do believe that. He was taken from the ocean, where we were living peacefully, not bothering anyone. He doesn't deserve to be a captive or-or worse." Her voice was much steadier this time, convincing despite the fact that she was still shaken to her core.

He frowned at her, brows drawing together as he considered her words. "What exactly do you mean by 'taken from the ocean'?" he said slowly, and Aurellia nearly fell out of her chair in shock. Not only did he not recall _her_ , but he didn't remember anything about _her people_. It was a subject they had spoken in length about, Leto being curious by nature and asking many questions. She had answered them all to the best of her ability, and he had been absolutely fascinated by her when she was in mer form. How could one forget something like that?

"Are you seriously acting like you have no idea?" she asked softly, acutely aware of the fact that her face reflected both the hurt and anger she felt rising up inside of her. "You- You're just going to sit there, across from me, and pretend you don't remember me?" Teeth gritted, her voice had lowered and taken on a dangerous quality as she clenched her fists together. She was vaguely aware of the pain from nails piercing skin, but she was too focused on the man in front of her. He looked taken aback by her reaction to his question, all hostility chased from his posture and replaced by ever-growing confusion. She saw and chose to ignore this, her emotions having taken full reign of her by now. "You _promised_ me that you would never leave me, but that's _exactly_ what you did! Y-you went off to that tournament, saying you'd be back in a few days, but then you never did! You _left me_ , and now what? Now you think that by pretending to not know who I am- _what_ I am- that we can ignore that it ever happened? Or maybe you thought that I wouldn't recognize you? Well, surprise, but a new hair color and tattoos aren't enough to hide from me, **_Leto!"_**   She stood up shakily, swaying on unsteady legs as she prepared herself to storm out of the room.

She managed a few stomps before she felt a hand latch onto her arm, and she turned her venomous gaze upon the offending party himself. He visibly recoiled, releasing her as though her skin burnt to touch. "I... I must admit to my own ignorance, Hawke," the deep voice grumbled, green eyes housing uncertainty and fear. "I apologize if I was responsible for causing you emotional distress in the past, but please understand that I am sincere in my inability to remember. I only remember waking up like this, my body marred with these markings, no indication of who I was or how I got there. Then Danarius," she noticed his body tense as he spoke the name, a sneer reappearing as he paused. His eyes became unfocused for a moment as he stared over her shoulder, breathing heavily for a few breaths before shaking his head and relaxing his body. "That does not matter, regardless. If you knew me before I became this, this _abomination_ , I hope you will indulge me in my curiosity of my life prior. Please, accept my apologies for anything I may have done in the past."

She hesitated, narrowing her eyes at him in thought. Could he be telling the truth? It would certainly explain his lack of reaction to seeing her, but it seemed like a far-fetched tale. "What could cause you to lose all of your memories?" she asked, her legs wobbling a bit underneath of her.

"Blood magic." He spat out the words as though they were poisonous, a look of pure disgust written across his face. "That is what all of the magisters in Tevinter practice, and it is responsible for many worse atrocities than my memory. For instance, these." He drug a hand lightly up his arm, indicating the silvery lines snaking up the skin. "Only blood magic could embed lyrium into an unwilling host successfully."

"Oh." She remembered Anders and his magic, how powerful it was and how easily he wielded it. She didn't know what exactly blood magic was, but it made sense to assume it had something to do with the liquid coursing through their bodies. It hadn't occurred to her that magic could be used in such a dastardly way, a fact that only proved how naive she could be at times. Her whole race had magic within them, from the bottom of their fins to the very hair on their heads, a magic that allowed them to transform and communicate, to survive.

She gasped in surprise when her legs bucked again, throwing her weight forward so she'd fall to her hands and knees. She prepared herself for the jolt of the landing, eyes screwed shut and jaw set, surprised when she felt arms circle around her and catch her. She opened her eyes to look straight into green, and she distinctly felt the heat radiating from him. "Heh. Let us get you back to your seat," he coughed out, clearing his throat as he helped direct her shaky legs to her chair. She lowered herself back into it gently, quietly thanking him.

She realized all the eyes in the room were on the two, red rushing across her cheeks as she lowered her head. "I'm sorry for losing my temper," she said quietly as he turned to walk away from her side. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him pause, glancing back at her with a look of pure uncertainty.

"It is no trouble," he replied in an equally quiet voice, and she had to strain to hear him. "But I must implore you to call me Fenris, for now, at least." At her small nod, he started his route back to his own chair, and she watched him out of her peripheral vision the entire way. He still walked with grace, though it was much more refined now. He carried himself proudly, shoulders back and head held high, which was very different from the strong-yet-subservient Leto she knew. She touched a finger to her lips as she recalled their last night together, dancing on the cool sand in his arms, and the sweet kiss they had shared. She hadn't known it back then, but the emotion she had been feeling was the beginning stage of love, and she felt a few of the old sentiments rising up within her.

She shook her head quickly, red hair flying around her face. No, she was here to get Anders, her _mate_. She could not afford to get distracted by old flames and what-could-have-beens.

Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and placed her hands amiably on the table in front of her. "So, do we have a plan?" she asked, determined to rescue her love, even if it meant working alongside an old friend who no longer remembered her.

 

* * *

 

 

The water was cool on her sore tail, muscles still taxed even after her transformation. She floated near the rocky shore for a few moments, confirming with a crouching Isabela when to check in tomorrow to see if there was any new information gathered. Her and Aveline were staying at The Hanged Man for their time in Kirkwall, though Aveline had mentioned possibly looking into joining the city guard. Aurellia of course wished her the best of luck, hopeful that if she was accepted, she would still keep in touch. Aveline had assured her she would.

With a little wave to the pirate on the rocks, Aurellia dived into the refreshing water, enjoying the feel of it against her body. She had forgotten how it felt to be completely in the air for a number of hours, how her skin always felt slightly dried out after. She allowed herself a few moments of play, dancing and twirling in the bay under the night sky.

Anders was here, she was sure of it. She knew little about how mating worked, but she felt whole for the first time since he'd been ripped away from her. She was excited to possibly see him soon, hopeful that he hadn't suffered much at the hands of what Varric called "templars." Apparently it wasn't surprising to any of the people who had been present in his room that Anders had been taken, as templars had a proclivity for stashing away mages to "keep the public safe." It wasn't that far of a leap to believe they would take a mythical creature full of latent magic for study. When she confessed that Anders was also a mage, most of them had nodded with a resigned look on their faces, the one exception being Fenris. His nostrils had flared and he had became unsettled at the suggestion of rescuing someone who could practice magic, and it had taken a large amount of convincing to get him to agree to still help. Mers were a magical race, after all, and they didn't interact with humans enough to warrant any sort of fear of them or their magic.

And hadn't _that_ been an interesting discussion, explaining to Fenris (again) what she and Anders were. It had become increasingly obvious that he had very little in common with the young man she remembered from her smolthood. Whether by force or choice, he had become a lot more hostile toward the idea of magic and anything mythical, a fact which saddened her greatly. She felt like she had lost her friend again, after having just found him.

Now, however, she had something else on her mind. It was time to find her clan.

She first swam through the bay, circling around the Gallows. She was doubtful they'd be this close to a place so dangerous, but it would be amiss to not at least check. Once that was complete, she swam back out by the docks, heading out into the open ocean surrounding Kirkwall. She stuck by the coast, looking for caves or reefs that could house a clan of mers.

She didn't have to look long.

The sound of soft singing reached her, and she sped up in the direction, eyes wide and heart beating wildly as she approached. Soon a brightly colored reef came into view and among it, mers swimming. She slowed down, nerves overtaking her excitement. She didn't know what to say, how to express her joy. It was all too much, too hard to believe that she had actually found her clan again. After eight long years, she could see her parents and siblings again.

"Aurellia?" came a small voice to her side, and she turned to see a mer with long, beautiful brown hair staring at her in disbelief. Brown eyes were large circles, her mouth slightly agape as she floated nearby, the iridescent scales of smolthood shimmering in the water.

"Bethany? Is that you?" whispered Aurellia, reaching out a shaking hand in the direction of the other mer. Bethany nodded, and the two rushed together in a tight hug. It felt as though Bethany was clinging to her for her life, her grip close to causing pain; Aurellia didn't care.

"I thought I'd never see you again," the young mer cried, voice thick with emotion. "I can't believe you're really here!"

Aurellia let out a weak laugh, wiggling out of the hug to smile at her little sister. "I didn't think I'd find you guys ever again, either." She brushed her hair back out of her face where it had been floating, taking in how much Bethany had grown in the years she had been absent. "You've grown so much," she said, her voice filled with sadness.

"I lost my first scale today!" Bethany puffed out her chest, beaming in pride. "I'm nearly an adult now!"

"That's great, Bethy, that's really great." Aurellia hesitated before reaching out to ruffle her sister's hair like when she was little. "I'm so proud of you."

"Stop!" Bethany giggled, batting away Aurellia's hand playfully. "Do you-" she paused, voice wavering slightly as she regarded Aurellia. "Do you want to go see mom and dad? And Carver?" She looked at her with such unbridled hope that Aurellia couldn't help but smile wider.

"Of course I want to see them, silly. Let's go now."


	11. The Twins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A discussion with Bethany and Carver reveals something that may come in handy.

"You can _what?"_ Aurellia asked, staring in shock at her siblings. They had swam up to a secluded spot on the rocky shores of Kirkwall, a place where the twins insisted was safe for them to be, sitting with their tails dangling into the water. She had spent the previous day catching up with her family and her clan, everyone overwhelmed with happiness to see each other again. There had been a feast and a dance, the mers pulling out their instruments made from sea shells and coral to celebrate the coming home of one of their own after such a long separation. There were bits of it that were reminiscent of the small party that occurs when a mer comes back from their first time as a human, and she supposed that was also appropriate; after all, she _had_ completed the trial and she was finally home, even if it was 8 years late.

The next morning Beth had pulled her aside after morning hunt, asking her to come with her and Carver to speak about how they could help her retrieve Anders. At first, Aurellia had refused; though they both had started to lose their scales and make the transition into adulthood, she couldn't help but still remember them as the children they were when she last saw them. She had no desire to place either of them in danger, especially not when she had no true concept of how this rescue attempt would go. All she knew was that it was likely to be very dangerous and that she was depending more than she'd like to on land-dwellers, one of whom had already abandoned her in the past.

Try as she might, she could not chase Fenris from her thoughts. It was as though he were embedded within them, taking root in all the old nooks and crannies he had inhabited many years prior. She had been hesitant to believe his impossible tales of blood magic and memory loss, even though she could see the slight trepidation that had risen within him after finding out that she knew him before whatever happened to him had happened. Yet as the night had worn on, she had found herself becoming slowly convinced; it would take an amazing amount of skill to be able to lie that convincingly and consistently, as nothing cropped up in his behavior or attitude to prove her suspicions.

She knew she should focus her thoughts on Anders, on the merman she had chosen to be her mate, but they always seemed to shift back to Fenris. It was surprisingly easy to refer to him by his new name, since he seemed to be a completely different person altogether from the sweet Leto she had known so long ago. She could not deny that he was as strikingly handsome as ever, if not more so; the sharp contrast of his white hair to the dark skin, the silvery lines of lyrium snaking up and down his exposed limbs adding to the mystery he seemed to project in spades. She had always loved his eyes the most, big, green and expressive, but she found that he no longer was so free with expressing his emotions. More often than not, his face had remained carefully neutral, and his eyes devoid of emotion for the most part. She was fairly convinced that the only reason she could see when something flitted through them at all was because she had become an expert at reading his face when they were younger.

She could not deny that a few of the old feelings had resurfaced, a desire to be around him coupled with an attraction nearly impossible to ignore. But along with them came the hurt and confusion she had felt when she'd realized he wasn't coming back to her, and now came the added complication of him not remembering her at all.

It didn't matter. She was going to be with Anders, regardless of what emotions Fenris brought out in her.

"We can be human whenever we want?" Beth's answer was more phrased as a question, much less confident than when she had originally made the statement.

Carver had been silent during most of the conversation, tossing rocks leisurely into the bay. He had been less enthusiastic than the others about her return, something that both confused and hurt Aurellia. Of the twins, she had always been closer to him, both of them being natural hunters, the only two in the family predisposed to it. Both Beth and their father were meant to be healers, and mother was a teacher. Aurellia had been expecting him to join her on the morning hunt, but he had been nowhere to be found. It was only when he returned after her that she found he had went on his own, and he hadn't spoken to her since.

"But...but how? Are you," Aurellia's voice dropped to a whisper, leaning in slightly closer as though she was about to impart an earth-shattering secret to her sister. "Can you do... _magic?_ _"_

"Well, no, not _exactly-_ "

" _By the sea gods_ , just tell her already!" Carver cut in, aggressively lobbing a larger rock into the water. The responding splash rose up high enough to hit the three mers, the water wetting their skin pleasantly. "It's not that big of a deal," he grumbled, sliding off of the rocks back into the bay.

Aurellia furrowed her eyebrows, waiting until he had come back up from being submerged, hands running through his dark hair to push it out of his eyes. "Except that it kind of _is_ a big deal, Carv," she replied, annoyance growing when he grunted and turned away. "Most mers can't just turn into a landwalker at will. So...yeah, kind of a big deal."

"Whatever," he responded in a petulant tone, not bothering to look at her.

"Anyway...." Aurellia looked over to Beth, who had started braiding her dark hair as she butted into the argument, drawing attention back to herself. "We've been settled outside of this place for a while now, and a few moons ago Carver and I ran into a sea witch in the town. We didn't realize it at first, but she knew what we were right away, I think. Carver basically tripped over himself in an attempt to woo her, but I don't think it worked. But we did become friends, and she gave us these." Beth gestured at the markings that were lining her arms and upper body, coiling up her neck into a pattern on her cheeks and forehead. "She called them vallaslin, and said they were markings of the sea gods, and that, if we were worthy, we would be granted the ability to change at will."

Aurellia reached out a finger and traced along the pale blue lines that snaked up her sister's arm, her mind flashing back to the lyrium embedded in Fenris' skin. "And this is...safe?" she queried, dropping her hand and peering around to try to see what what on her brother. She had noticed the markings earlier, but hadn't thought much of them; both twins had them and they were so light that one had to look closely to see them.

"Yes, it's perfectly safe," Beth said, smiling shyly. "We even got to pick which god's pattern we wanted."

"But _please_ , don't mention how much it hurt," came the disgruntled voice of Carver as he skipped another stone across the surface of the water.

"Well, that's true. It did hurt, quite a lot," admitted Beth, gingerly touching her forehead where the lines converged to form something similar to the waves of the sea. "But it does allow us to do this!" She smiled brightly, the markings glowing dimly as she threw her head back, dark hair flowing down her back as her tail split, two long legs taking its place with feet dangling in the water. She reached behind her, moving a few rocks as she brought forth a hidden bag, pulling out a dress made of the most beautiful material Aurellia had ever seen. Standing expertly, Beth pulled the dress over her head, grinning down at her sister and twirling amongst the stones, obviously proud of her skill. "See? Totally worth the pain." She picked up a small rock, tossing it gently at Carver and hitting him on the shoulder, eliciting an annoyed "hey!" from him. "Your turn, broody," she called, giggling.

Sighing heavily, Carver turned back around, allowing Aurellia to glance his own vallaslin. His was a reddish-brown color in a much simpler pattern, starting on his forehead and curling down to his ears. Rolling his eyes, he pushed himself up back up onto the rocks before his own marks lit up softly. Shortly he was also reaching into the bag, pulling out leggings and a shirt. "There, happy now?" he asked when he was fully dressed. As he stood next to Beth, Aurellia marveled at just how _tall_ he was. Really, he was gigantic.

"So...are you guys going somewhere?" she asked as the two stood before her with their _legs_ , something she never thought she'd be jealous of. She had a reason, of course, to want to have them- they could move forward with rescuing Anders if she were able to move between land and water at her whim. It certainly had nothing to do with Fenris, no.

Beth shook her head, smirking as though the answer were obvious. "Duh, silly. We are going to go get Merrill."

"I, uh- what? Who?" Aurellia asked, confused.

"The sea witch?" Carver replied, cocking an eyebrow with a tone indicating that Aurellia should have known what Beth meant.

"Oh, of course," she replied, choosing to ignore him and smiled at her sister. "I'll wait here, then?"

She watched as the two climbed up to the outer limits of the city, disappearing from view. "Yeah, I'll just wait here," she sighed, settling back against the shore, twirling her fingers in her hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry for how long it took me to write this, but I had a really difficult time with this chapter. Top that off with a combined flare up of my depression and lupus and writer's block, and it just kinda put me on complete lockdown. Hopefully I managed to wriggle my way out of the corner I felt that I had put myself in. :)


	12. The Sea Witch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not know *exactly* how the Dalish go about injecting their vallaslin ink into the skin, so I just made it somewhat magical. Forgive me if it's inaccurate. Not much of this story follows canon so it shouldn't come as too much of a shock. ;)

Time passed slowly once Aurellia was alone, her only company crabs skittering by on the shore. She entertained herself for a while seeing how far she could splash the water up on the rocks above her until she realized just how  _loud_ the sound of her tail slapping the bay was. She was in the process of braiding her long red hair when the sound of footsteps walking on the stones above her incited a brief moment of panic, causing her to slide into the water, only leaving her head, neck and shoulders in view. Two figures appeared at the top, climbing down the steep embankment carefully toward where she had been sitting only moments prior. As they came closer, she recognized the tall form of her brother and heard her sister's flowing laughter, causing her to release a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. Reaching forward, she grasped one of the larger rocks and heaved herself back up to sit again, her long, purple tail dangling half-hidden in the water. Reaching behind her head, she slid her fingers through the curly mess, pulling out what she had already done to start over. As Carver and Bethany approached, she noticed another, smaller figure with them, using Carver's arm to steady herself as they descended.

It wasn't long before the three were standing before Aurellia, the twins both looking triumphant in their separate ways - Bethany was beaming, Carver just looked smug - as Aurellia flashed a friendly smile at them and the newcomer. She only came up to Bethany's shoulder and had pointed ears like Le - Fenris. Her hair was a beautiful deep brown, with small ponytails littered throughout it in a way that should have looked odd, but on her, it looked cute. Curved grey markings (in a pattern that reminded Aurellia of tree branches) covered the dark skin of her forehead, cheeks and chin, managing to accent her large gold-green eyes. A large bag hung off her shoulder, her tiny hands clutching it to her chest even as the brown strap started to slip off of her tunic-clad shoulder.

"You must be Au-rel-lia," she said, her voice high and lilting in a pleasant manner. She was smiling widely, face alight and eyes dancing with excitement. "I'm Merrill, though most mers prefer to call me a sea witch."

Aurellia couldn't help but return the smile, the little woman's energy contagious. "Yes, that's me," she responded, finishing her hair and tying it off. "It's nice to meet you Merrill. So are you what the humans call a mage, then?"

She hadn't thought it possible, but Merrill's eyes lit up even more, and she started to bounce slightly on the balls of her toes. "Oooh, you _do_ know more than the average mer, don't you?" She clapped her hands together in glee, biting her lip as though to try to contain herself. "Beth and Carv didn't tell me much except that you need to be able to change at will, too, so here I am! It's always nice to have more of our kind on shore, it's not so lo-ne-ly then." She let out a little giggle, eliciting a smile from Carver, who still had a hand on her shoulder.

"This means I need to get markings, right? Vali... valisan?" Aurellia asked, subconsciously touching her cheek to run a finger from her eye to her ear.

Merrill nodded, lifting her bag up pointedly. "Ye-es! Although it's pronounced vallaslin, lathallan. Can you move further up, to where that large stone is?" She motioned toward a rock that had a flat top, large enough for two, maybe three of them to sit comfortably on. 

Aurellia surveyed the area around her, trying to discern a viable path for her to drag herself up the bank. Before she had much time to think, Carver scooped down and picked her up, heaving her over his shoulder and holding onto her back with one hand. She laughed merrily, clutching onto his shirt as he picked his way toward the indicated stone, using his free hand to steady them as needed. Upon arrival he sat her down gently, flashing her a weak smile as he stepped away that made her heart sing; maybe he was still mad at her, but this was progress.

The rock was wide but not long, and more of her tail drooped over the edge than she was comfortable with. Merrill approached her, shooing Carver back to sit near them but not on the same ledge, standing and looking at Aurellia thoughtfully. "Would you be comfortable curling your tail around you?"

Frowning, Aurellia wiggled back slightly and pushed down on the stone with her palms, clenching her abdominal muscles as she heaved the heavy portion of her lower body up onto it with a loud _splat_! as the fins slapped against the hard surface. She flinched at the slight pain caused by the slam of her tail on the rock as well as the feeling of scales scraping against the bumps and crevices on the rock's surface, steadying herself as she drug her tail back, trying to curl it as much as she could.

"Just a minute- here, this might help," Merrill said as she casually flicked her wrist, and Aurellia's eyes widened as she levitated above the ground briefly before being placed upon a rock that Merrill had maneuvered underneath of her with her magic.

"Thanks," Aurellia said quietly, finding it much easier to curl her tail to the side now that she was slightly elevated.

Merrill crouched in front of her, setting her bag on the ground and flipping the top open. She dug through it with fervor, mumbling under her breath slightly until she clicked her tongue and pulled out a small book, smiling widely as she handed it to Aurellia. "This has the base patterns for the markings that honor each of the sea gods. Look through it and see if anything catches your eye."

The book was old, bound in leather, and filled with illustrations and explanations of each god. Aurellia wasn't a particularly strong reader - she'd been taught the basics so she could function moderately well in society, but had never had much practice or cause to use it. She gave up on trying to pronounce the names at the top of the page, instead focusing on the swirls and lines drawn on each face, marveling at the different types. There were some that took up the whole face, while others hovered over an eye or the forehead only. Some reflected trees while others resembled stitches or bows. One specific one had one half of the face nearly entirely covered in ink; no, that was too bold. Even her sister's pattern- which she noted seemed to be a modified version of one of the earlier pictures - was too much for her. She wanted something simple, and after another flip through all the pages, she finally settled on one.

"This one," she said, pointing to one that started underneath both eyes and curled back to her hairline like roots in the ground. "In the lightest color you could possibly do."

Merrill took the book from her, smiling reassuringly as she traced the picture. "Mythal. The Protector... from what I've heard, it cer-tain-ly fits you." She placed it carefully on the stone beside her, rummaging through her bag once more. Pulling out a box, she sat it on the ground between them, opening the lid carefully. Her hand hovered over a few small sticks with sharp ends before selecting one made of dark wood with a line spiraling from the larger bottom to the thin tip, with tiny, intricate markings etched in between, and Aurellia marveled how someone could have carved something so small. Next came a couple of vials of ink, Merrill setting about adding a few drops of each to an empty bottle and swirling it until she got a color only slightly tanner than Aurellia's own skin. Back into the box went the vials, Merrill closing the lid and placing it off to the side. She scooted forward to the point that her knees were against Aurellia's scales, holding both the stick and the bottle of ink tightly.

"Did you want to make any sort of modification to the markings?" Merrill asked, glancing at the twins. "Both of them did, and as long as it's minor, the god's will only see it as an extra offering." Aurellia made a small motion over the bridge of her nose, indicating that she wanted the two branches to connect. Nodding, Merrill continued, "I understand. Now, da'len, this _will_ hurt. I need you to be completely silent for the ritual to work; the gods do not look upon signs of weakness kindly." Aurellia gulped, nodding even as she felt a slight tingle of fear rising within her. "I will use the wand to inject the ink into your skin with magic. Since you picked such a small pattern, it won't take long. Ready?" Merrill asked, her face kind as she waited for an answer. Aurellia nodded again, and Merrill smiled. "Here we go."

The wand was dipped into the ink, and Aurellia gasped as it lit up with a sort of ethereal beauty. The liquid traveled up throughout the markings, lighting the entire wand with a soft tan glow, pulsing hypnotically. When the bottle was empty, Merrill sat it down, using her now-free hand to cup Aurellia's chin. "Okay, deep breath, in, out," she said firmly, touching the wand to Aurellia's right cheek as she released the breath.

The pain was immediate and immense. Aurellia had to bite down on her tongue and swallow the scream that rose in her throat, her whole body stiffening as the wood traced its path along the side of her face. Her breaths became quick and shallow as she tried to blink back tears, holding as still as she could so that Merrill could finish as fast as possible. It felt as though it were a knife instead of a wand, a blade that was carving her flesh while the ink was fire simultaneously searing it from her bones. Her fist scrabbled at the rock before she felt hands enclose both of them; Bethany on one side, Carver on the other. She flicked her eyes at both of them, trying to convey her thanks by squeezing their hands.

It really didn't take as long as she thought it would - though the pain certainly made it _seem_ longer than it probably was - and before she knew it, Merrill was doing the final swoop over her nose. She let out a loud breath when Merrill pulled back, the wand now devoid of any of the ink it had so eagerly soaked up before. Setting it down, Merrill raised her hands to the air and started to chant in a language unfamiliar to Aurellia, the words taking longer than normal for her brain to translate. It was a prayer, of sorts, to the gods, asking them to bestow the blessing of legs upon her. When she finished, she started again, looping through a couple of times, each time getting a little louder until she was nearly shouting, red-faced and fervent as she spread her arms to the heavens above.

Aurellia doubled over as stabbing pain erupted in her chest, gasping for air and convinced she had done something wrong and that the gods were striking her down. She felt someone pat her gently on her back and whisper to her to breathe, just keep breathing, and she tried to focus on her breath. Another bout of pain struck her, this one feeling like a sword dragging from her abdomen all the way down to her tail fins.

Her tail fins that were currently splitting into feet.

Eyes widening, she noticed that Merrill had stopped her prayer and was watching her with obvious glee, and Aurellia let out a little giggle despite the pain wracking her body. Slowly the scales fell away, and the smooth skin of human legs could be seen. Clutching tightly to the hand that still held her (Carver's), she pulled herself to a standing position, grinning widely as she took a step toward Merrill. The feeling was euphoric this time, and she felt giddy with excitement and relief.

She did it. She could shift whenever she needed.

She could finally save Anders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break! Alas, we are heading into the time of year when I'm about to get busy- at work, at home, the whole kit-and-caboodle. So the updates will probably be sporadic at best. Apologies! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Did you like it? Did you love it? Did you... *gasp* hate it? Let me know! I'm always open for reviews, comments and helpful criticism.  
> I'm here to grow. :)
> 
> You can also find me on Tumblr as StarlingHawke


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